Acacia verticillata subsp. ruscifolia
Common name
prickly Moses
Family
Fabaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Waste places and scrubland. Seeds itself away from old house gardens, farms or similar.
Features
Shrub to small tree, stems ribbed, sparsely to densely hairy. Leaves reduced to small sharply pointed phyllodes up to 17 x 3 mm. Inflorescence consists of numerous pale yellow flowers arranged in spikes that extend beyond the leaves. Seed pod usually straight, up to 100 x 4 mm.
Similar taxa
The sharply pointed phyllodes (false leaves) and flowers arranged in spikes make A. verticillata easily identifiable.
Flowering
September, October, November.
Flower colours
Yellow
Year naturalised
1948
Origin
S.E. Australia, Tasmania
Etymology
acacia: Derived from Greek ‘akazo’ to sharpen, meaning point; spine or thorn.