Acacia aspera, commonly known as Rough Wattle, is a spreading shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

 which is endemic to south-eastern Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It grows to up to 2 metres high and has phyllodes which are 10 to 30 mm long and 2 -4 mm wide. The pale yellow to gold globular flowerheads appear singly or in groups of two in the axils of the phyllodes in July to September, followed by curved or coiled seed pods which are 20 to 70 mm long and 3 to 5 mm wide.

The species was first formally described in 1838 by English botanist John Lindley

John Lindley

John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...

 in Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia based on a collection made near present-day Swan Hill in Victoria during Thomas Mitchell's 1836 expedition.

Two subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 are currently recognised:

• A. aspera Lindl. subsp. aspera - the nominate subspecies with golden yellow flowerheads and peduncle
  Peduncle (botany)
  In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
  
  s up to 10mm long.

• A. aspera subsp. parviceps N.G.Walsh - a subspecies from the Brisbane Ranges and just south of Beaufort
  Beaufort, Victoria
  Beaufort is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Western Highway midway between Ararat and Ballarat, in the Pyrenees Shire local government area. It is 387 metres above sea level. At the 2001 census, Beaufort had a population of 987...
  
   in Victoria formally described in 2004 with generally longer peduncles (7-15 mm) and cream to pale yellow flowers.

Putative hybrids between Acacia aspera and Acacia montana

Acacia montana

Acacia montana, commonly known as Mallee Wattle, is a shrub species that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. The species was first formally described in 1842 by English botanist George Bentham from plant material collected from the "highlands near the Liverpool Plains" in New South Wales....

have been recorded in the Bendigo Whipstick

Greater Bendigo National Park

Greater Bendigo is a national park in Victoria, Australia. Much of the park lies within the Bendigo Box-Ironbark Region Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for Swift Parrots and other woodland birds....

 region.

The species occurs in ranges from the Grampians

Grampians National Park

The Grampians National Park is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 235 kilometres west of Melbourne. The Park was listed on the Australian National Heritage List on 15 December 2006 for its outstanding natural beauty and being one of the richest indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern...

 eastward to the Warby Ranges in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 and from Yass

Yass, New South Wales

Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....

 northward to Peak Hill

Peak Hill, New South Wales

Peak Hill is a town in Parkes Shire in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Peak Hill had a population of 946 people.It is on the Newell Highway and the Dubbo to Parkes railway line, completed to Peak Hill in 1910...

 in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. It is found on sandy or gravelly soils in open forest or mallee communities

Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands

Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is a Major Vegetation Group which occurs in semi-arid areas of southern Australia. The vegetation is dominated by mallee eucalypts which are rarely over 6 metres high...

.