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Summary
Acacia enterocarpa is a small dense prickly much–branched spreading shrub to 1.5 m high and 1.5 m wide (Whibley 1980; Jessop and Toelken 1986). Branchlets are asperulate, reddish brown and ribbed (Cowan & Maslin, 2001). Phyllodes are linear 2—4.5 cm long, 1—1.3 cm wide and straight or slightly curved, with 10–12 distinct raised asperulate nerves. Phyllodes have a sharp reddish–brown rigid tip. Flowers are bright yellow globular balls, axillary and generally occur in pairs. Flowers occur as 20 together on peduncles approximately 5 mm long (Whibley, 1980). Flowering occurs between May and October (winter—spring) (Whibley, 1980). Pods are typically a zigzag shape, undulate to +/−2 cm long and 2 mm wide, conaceous, brown with thickened yellow margins and sparsely appressed, puberulous (Whibley 1980; Cowan & Maslin 2001). The common name, jumping–Jack wattle, is derived from the pod resembling a jumping jack cracker. Seeds are longitudinal, oblong to elliptic +/− 3 mm long (Whibley, 1980).
Acacia enterocarpa is closely related to A. hexaneura, which has persistent, spinose stipules, longer, 6–nerved phyllodes and less contorted pods (Cowan & Maslin, 2001). It is also similar in appearance to A. nyssophylla and A. colletioides, but differs from both by its asperulate–ribbed branchlets and phyllodes, as well as by its strongly plicate pods having seeds with smaller, whitish arils (Cowan & Maslin, 2001).