Acacia baxteri

The compact and pungent shrub typically grows to a height of 0.2 to 1 metre (1 to 3 ft). It blooms from September to December and produces yellow flowers.[4] The shrub has rigid, striate-ribbed and glabrous branchlets. The thick rigid phyllodes are sessile, with a narrowly linear to oblong-elliptic shape and are around 10 to 25 millimetres (0.39 to 0.98 in) in length with a width of 1 to 4 mm (0.04 to 0.16 in). There is one simple inflorescence per axil with globular flower heads containing 30 to 50 flowers. After flowering curved woody red-brown seed pods form that are up to 6.5 millimetres (0.26 in) long and 3 to 5 mm (0.12 to 0.20 in). The grey-brown seeds have an oblong shape and are 5 to 6 mm (0.20 to 0.24 in) in length.

The species was first formally described by the botanist George Bentham in 1842 in the work Notes on Mimoseae, with a synopsis of species. as published in London Journal of Botany.[1][2] There are two recognised synonyms for A. baxteri; Acacia bagsteri as described by George Bentham and Racosperma baxteri as described by Leslie Pedley.[5]

It is closely related to Acacia andrewsii and has phyllodes that are quite similar to Acacia unifissilis.[6]

The species epithet, baxteri, commemorates Bagster[2] (William Baxter).[7]

It is native to an area in the Wheatbelt and the Great Southern regions of Western Australia.[4] The population is disjucnct with most found between Ongerup and Albany with scattered populations found further north. The shrub is commonly found s part of Eucalyptus woodlands or open mallee heath communities.[6]

• List of Acacia species