Plants of
South Australia
Acacia euthycarpa
Fabaceae
Reed-leaf Wattle,
Wallowa
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Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 12

Prior names

Acacia euthycarpa ssp. oblanceolatum

Acacia calamifolia var. euthycarpa

Common names

Reed-leaf Wattle

Wallowa

Etymology

Acacia from the Greek 'akakia' and derived from 'ake' or 'akis' meaning a sharp point or thorn and 'akazo' meaning to sharpen. Dioscorides, the Greek physician and botanist used the word in the 1st century AD for the Egyptian thorn tree, Acacia arabica. Euthycarpa from the Greek 'euthus' meaning straight and 'karpos' meaning fruit, referring to its straight sides.

Distribution and status

Found in the lower region of South Australia from Mount Finke, Gawler Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, the Barossa, south to Goolwa, and eastwards through the Murray Mallee, growing on a variety of soil types, in woodland and open scrub. Also found in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Gairdner-Torrens, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Shrub to 4 m tall, occasionally a small tree to 10 m. New shoots glabrous. Leaves narrowly linear to oblanceolate to 100 mm long and 6 mm wide, flat to terete with a curved point. Usually green to grey-green glabrous, sometimes scurfy. Inflorescences axillary racemes with 2-4 globular, golden flowers. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are long, straight pod to 15 cm long and 7 mm wide. Seeds are dark brown to black, ovoid to ellipsoid to 6 mm long to 3 mm wide. Seed embryo type is investing.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and December. Collect mature pods that are turning brown, with hard, dark seeds inside. Place the pods in a tray and leave to dry for 1-2 weeks or until the pods begin to split. Then rub the dried pods to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate any unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seed viability is usually high. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
9,402 (191.1 g)
9,402 (191.1 g)
2026-Nov-2003MKJ6
Murray
1-Sep-200490%+5°C, -18°C
BGA 
MSB
13,900 (223 g)
13,900 (223 g)
60+9-Nov-2004MKJ40
Eyre Peninsula
31-Mar-200695%-18°C
BGA430 (8.23 g)106-Dec-2005DJD294
Eyre Peninsula
1-Aug-200685%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.