Acacia adoxa
species of plant
Acacia adoxa, commonly known as the grey-whorled wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is a dense, low-lying shrub with linear, more or less cylindrical phyllodes in whorls of 6 to 10, heads of golden-yellow flowers, and flat, sticky pods.
Description
Acacia adoxa is a dense, low-lying shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 50 cm (20 in) and about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter, sometimes to a height of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and sometimes has hairy branchlets. Its phyllodes are arranged in whorls of 6 to 10, and are more or less cylindrical to flattened, mostly 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in), sometimes with a small point on the end, and an impressed vein on the lower surface. There is a linear stipule 0.8–1.2 mm (0.031–0.047 in) long at the base of the phyllode.
The flowers are golden-yellow, borne in heads of 25 to 35 on a peduncle mostly 6–15 mm (0.24–0.59 in) long. Flowering occurs from April to October, and the pods are flat, sessile 25–60 mm (0.98–2.36 in) long, 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) wide, glabrous and sticky. The pods contain oblong seeds around 4 mm (0.16 in) long.
Taxonomy
Acacia adoxa was first formally described in 1972 by the botanist Leslie Pedley in Contributions from the Queensland Herbarium from specimens collected in the Northern Territory by George Chippendale. Pedley later reclassified the species in 2003 as Racosperma adoxum but the name was not accepted by the Australian Plant Census.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Acacia adoxa” is species of plant. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Acacia, adoxa and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of plant” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 30, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q15289375. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1972 and 2003.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Acacia adoxa”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Acacia adoxa primary sources, Acacia adoxa archive and Acacia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Acacia adoxa”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Acacia adoxa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.