Acacia caerulescens

{{Short description|Species of legume}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Speciesbox

|name=Limestone blue wattle

|status = VU

|status_system = EPBC

|status_ref = {{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=21883|title=Acacia caerulescens — Limestone Blue Wattle, Buchan Blue, Buchan Blue Wattle|author=((Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities))|work= Species Profile and Threats Database|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=28 January 2013|location=Canberra, Australian Capital Territory}}

|image = Acacia caerulescens.jpg

|genus = Acacia

|species =caerulescens

|authority = Maslin & Court{{cite web |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?TAXON_NAME=Acacia+caerulescens |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130219185654/http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?TAXON_NAME=Acacia+caerulescens |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 February 2013 |title=Acacia caerulescens |access-date=28 January 2013 |work=Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database |publisher=Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra }}

|synonyms = Racosperma caerulescens (Maslin & Court) Pedley

|range_map = Acacia caerulescensDistMap147.png

|range_map_caption = Occurrence data from AVH

}}

Acacia caerulescens, commonly known as limestone blue wattle, Buchan blue or Buchan blue wattle is a tree species that is endemic to south eastern Australia.

Description

The tree grows to between {{cvt|10|and|15|m}} in height and has a pyramidal habit with glabrous branchlets that have a fine white powdery coating. Like most species of Acacia it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. The evergreen phyllodes have an obovate to oblanceolate or sometimes narrowly elliptic shape with a length of {{cvt|4|to|8|cm}} and a width of {{cvt|1.5|to|3|mm}}. The lemon yellow globular flowerheads appear in racemes from November to December in the species' native range, followed by seed pods that are 5 to 12 cm long and 1.4 to 2.2 cm wide.{{Flora of Australia Online|name=Acacia caerulescens |id=40909}}

Taxonomy

The species was formally described in 1989 based on plant material collected near Buchan in Gippsland.{{cite web|author1=Carter, Oberon |author2=Walsh, Neville |title=National Recovery Plan for Limestone Blue Wattle - Acacia caerulescens |publisher=State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment |date=November 2006 |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/pubs/a-caerulescens.pdf |access-date=28 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322130333/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/pubs/a-caerulescens.pdf |archivedate=22 March 2012 }}

Distribution

It has a limited distribution in Victoria where it is only found in the Lakes Entrance and Buchan areas. It is found as remnant populations mostly in clay soils over limestone as a part of Eucalyptus woodland communities. Its natural habitat is under threat of land clearing.

See also

References