Wallangarra Wattle

Description:

Late winter and early spring is the time when wattle explodes into life, and everywhere you look is vivid yellow. For most of the year these trees and shrubs are bland and uneventful, but when flowering, they completely transform the bushland setting. Acacia adunca, commonly known as "Wallangarra wattle", is an Australian native species belonging to the family Fabaceae. It grows as an erect or spreading shrub or tree to a height ranging from 2.5–14 metres. Long narrow phyllodes* to 15 cm tend to droop. Very floriferous, golden ball flowers bloom in dense clusters. This is a very hardy species that is well-adapted to extremes, and is a quintessential Australian plant. PS: The name of this national park is Girraween, which actually means "place of flowers".

Habitat:

Spotted on a granite outcrop above Underground Creek, in Girraween National Park, southeast Queensland. Dry sclerophyll forest with sandy granite soils. Sunny aspect. It can tolerate extremes of frost, snow, drought, flood, and fire. Here's some park info - http://www.rymich.com/girraween/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girraween_...

Notes:

*Phyllodes are modified petioles or leaf stems, which are leaf-like in appearance and function. In some plants, these become flattened and widened, while the leaf itself becomes reduced or vanishes altogether. Thus the phyllode comes to serve the purpose of the leaf.... They are common in the genus Acacia, especially the Australian species. (Wikipedia)