Acacia saligna

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Coojong
Acacia April 2015-3.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. saligna
Binomial name
Acacia saligna
Acacia salignaDistMap789.png
Australian occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms

Acacia cyanophylla Lindley

Acacia saligna, commonly known by various names including coojong, golden wreath wattle, orange wattle, blue-leafed wattle, Western Australian golden wattle, and, in Africa, Port Jackson willow, is a small tree in the family Fabaceae. Native to Australia, it is widely distributed throughout the south west corner of Western Australia, extending north as far as the Murchison River, and east to Israelite Bay. The Noongar peoples know the tree as Cujong. [3]

Contents

Description

Flowers and leaves Acacia March 2008-2.jpg
Flowers and leaves

Acacia saligna grows as a small, dense, spreading tree with a short trunk and a weeping habit. It grows up to eight metres tall. Like many Acacia species, it has phyllodes rather than true leaves; these can be up to 25 centimetres long. At the base of each phyllode is a nectary gland, which secretes a sugary fluid. This attracts ants, which are believed to reduce the numbers of leaf-eating insects. The yellow flowers appear in late winter and early spring, in groups of up to ten bright yellow spherical flower heads. The fruit is a legume, while the seed is oblong and dark to black in colour. [4]

A natural colonizer, Coojong tends to grow wherever soil has been disturbed, such as alongside new roads. Its seeds are distributed by ants, which store them in their nests to eat the seed-stalks. Disturbance of the soil brings them to the surface and allows them to germinate. Seeds germinate readily, and hundreds of seedlings can sometimes be found beneath a single parent tree. It is also extremely vigorous when young, often growing over a metre per year.

Uses

Acacia saligna can be used for multiple purposes, as it grows under a wide range of soil conditions into a woody shrub or tree. It has been used for tanning, revegetation, animal fodder, mine site rehabilitation, firewood, mulch, agroforestry and as a decorative plant. [5]

Acacia saligna has been planted extensively in semi-arid areas of Africa, South America and the Middle East as windbreaks and for stabilisation of sand dunes or erosion.

Invasive potential

Acacia saligna GBIF.org: occurrence data Acacia saligna DistributionMap.png
Acacia saligna GBIF.org: occurrence data

Acacia saligna has become an invasive species outside its natural range due to the following contributing factors: [4]

It was planted in the northern suburbs of Sydney in the 1950s, and has subsequently become a major weed in eastern New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. [7]

Since 2019, the species is included on the list of invasive alien species of Union Concern. [8] This means that the species can no longer be imported in the European Union. Additionally, it has become illegal to plant it, breed it, transport it, or bring it into the wild. [9]

Environmental impact in South Africa

In South Africa, it proliferated at an uncontrollable rate, having been introduced in the nineteenth century to produce tan bark and to stabilise the sands of the Cape Flats outside Cape Town after the indigenous bush had largely been cut down for firewood. In addition to replacing indigenous fynbos vegetation, it also hampers agriculture. [10] It is listed as an invasive alien plant in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, where it has displaced native species through changing fire regimes. [11] The introduction of the acacia gall rust fungus, ( Uromycladium tepperianum ), has proven to be highly effective at reining it in, reducing density by 80%. [10] The acacia seed weevil ( Melanterius species) was introduced in 2001 and has now (in 2007) reached the stage where there are sufficient numbers available to begin its distribution.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Acacia pycnantha, most commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae. It grows to a height of 8 metres and has phyllodes instead of true leaves. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in late winter and spring, followed by long seed pods. Explorer Thomas Mitchell collected the type specimen, from which George Bentham wrote the species description in 1842. The species is native to southeastern Australia as an understorey plant in eucalyptus forest. Plants are cross-pollinated by several species of honeyeater and thornbill, which visit nectaries on the phyllodes and brush against flowers, transferring pollen between them.

<i>Acacia cyclops</i> Species of plant

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<i>Acacia acuminata</i> Species of legume

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<i>Acacia inaequilatera</i> Species of legume

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<i>Acacia sclerosperma</i> Species of legume

Acacia sclerosperma, commonly known as limestone wattle or silver bark wattle, is a tree in the family Fabaceae. Endemic to Western Australia, it occurs on floodplains and along water-courses throughout the arid north-west corner of the State.

<i>Acacia murrayana</i> Species of legume

Acacia murrayana is a tree in the family Fabaceae. It has numerous common names, including sandplain wattle, Murray's wattle, fire wattle, colony wattle and powder bark wattle, and is endemic to arid areas in every mainland state except Victoria.

<i>Acacia mearnsii</i> Species of flowering plant

Acacia mearnsii, commonly known as black wattle, late black wattle or green wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is usually an erect tree with smooth bark, bipinnate leaves and spherical heads of fragrant pale yellow or cream-coloured flowers followed by black to reddish brown pods. In some other parts of the world, it is regarded as an invasive species.

<i>Acacia implexa</i> Species of plant

Acacia implexa, commonly known as lightwood or hickory wattle, is a fast-growing Australian tree, the timber of which is used for furniture making. The wood is prized for its finish and strength. The foliage was used to make pulp and dye cloth.

<i>Acacia decurrens</i> Species of legume

Acacia decurrens, commonly known as black wattle or early green wattle, is a perennial tree or shrub native to eastern New South Wales, including Sydney, the Greater Blue Mountains Area, the Hunter Region, and southwest to the Australian Capital Territory. It grows to a height of 2–15 m (7–50 ft) and it flowers from July to September.

<i>Acacia longifolia</i> Species of plant

Acacia longifolia is a species of Acacia native to southeastern Australia, from the extreme southeast of Queensland, eastern New South Wales, eastern and southern Victoria, southeastern South Australia, and Tasmania. Common names for it include long-leaved wattle, acacia trinervis, aroma doble, golden wattle, coast wattle, sallow wattle and Sydney golden wattle. It is not listed as being a threatened species, and is considered invasive in Portugal, New Zealand and South Africa. In the southern region of Western Australia, it has become naturalised and has been classed as a weed by out-competing indigenous species. It is a tree that grows very quickly reaching 7–10 m in five to six years.

<i>Acacia binervia</i> Species of plant

Acacia binervia, commonly known as the coast myall, is a wattle native to New South Wales and Victoria. It can grow as a shrub or as a tree reaching 16 m in height. This plant is reportedly toxic to livestock as the foliage (phyllodes) contain a glucoside which can produce hydrogen cyanide if cut.

<i>Acacia myrtifolia</i> Species of plant

Acacia myrtifolia, known colloquially as myrtle wattle, red stem wattle or red-stemmed wattle, is a species of Acacia native to coastal areas of southern and eastern Australia.

<i>Acacia rigens</i> Species of plant

Acacia rigens, commonly known as nealie, is an erect or spreading shrub or small tree that is endemic to Australia. Other common names include needle wattle, needlebush acacia, nealia and nilyah.

<i>Acacia tumida</i> Species of legume

Acacia tumida, known colloquially as pindan wattle, spear wattle or wongai, is a species of Acacia native to northern and western Australia.

<i>Acacia lasiocalyx</i> Species of legume

Acacia lasiocalyx, commonly known as silver wattle or shaggy wattle, is a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae.

<i>Acacia dictyophleba</i> Species of plant

Acacia dictyophleba, also known as the sandhill wattle, waxy wattle, feather veined wattle, and spear tree, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae, found in Australia. The Nyangumarta peoples know the plant as Langkur or Lungkun; the Thalanyji know it as Jabandi; and the Pintupi know it as mulyati.

<i>Acacia iteaphylla</i> Species of plant

Acacia iteaphylla, commonly known as Flinders Range wattle, Port Lincoln wattle, winter wattle and willow-leaved wattle, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is endemic to South Australia.

<i>Acacia microbotrya</i> Species of legume

Acacia microbotrya, commonly known as manna wattle or gum wattle, is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is native to Western Australia.

<i>Acacia calcicola</i> Species of plant

Acacia calcicola is a shrub or tree of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is native to parts of central Australia. Common names for this species include; shrubby wattle, shrubby mulga, myall-gidgee, northern myall and grey myall. Indigenous Australians the Pitjantjatjara peoples know the tree as ikatuka, the Warlpiri know it as jirlarti and the Arrernte know it as irrakwetye.

<i>Acacia oswaldii</i> Species of plant

Acacia oswaldii, commonly known as boree, umbrella wattle, umbrella bush, whyacka, middia, miljee, nella and curly yarran, is a shrub or tree of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves.

References

  1. ↑ "Acacia saligna". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. ↑ Wendland, H.L. (1820) Commentatio de Acaciis aphyllis: 4, 26.
  3. ↑ "Noongar names for plants". kippleonline.net. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 Quentin C. B. Cronk; Janice L. Fuller (1995). Plant Invaders: The Threat to Natural Ecosystems. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Springer. ISBN   978-0-412-48380-6.
  5. ↑ "FloraBase: Acacia saligna". Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia). Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Acacia saligna GBIF.org (1 March 2019) GBIF Occurrence Download doi : 10.15468/dl.vqssco
  7. ↑ "Jumping the Garden Fence: Invasive Garden Plants in Australia". WWF. 7 March 2005. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Union List of invasive alien species". June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "EU Regulation on IAS". June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015.
  10. 1 2 Judith H. Myers; Dawn Bazely (2003). Ecology and Control of Introduced Plants. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-35778-4 . Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  11. ↑ "Acacia saligna (Port Jackson willow) – Management and Control" (PDF). Invasive Species Specialist Group. September 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2011.

10 Kheloufi A., Mansouri L.M., Boukhatem Z.F. (2017). Application and use of sulfuric acid to improve seed germination of three acacia species, Reforesta, 3:1-10.

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