Botanical art
Prior names
Acacia retinodes var. gillii
Acacia retinodes var. angustifolia
Acacia pycnantha var. angustifolia
Common names
Gill's Wattle
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. Gillii commemorates Mr. Walter Gill (1851-1929) a former Conservator of Forests in South Australia and also Mr. Thomas Gill (1849-1923), Under Treasurer in 1894.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and restricted to the southern Eyre Peninsula, in the Port Lincoln and Marble Range area. Occurs in undulating open mallee scrub in red shallow porous loam. Native. Uncommon in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Slender, straggly, wiry, open shrubs or small trees to 4 m high, with pendulous branches, slender trunk and smooth grey-brown bark. Branches reddish, angular, flexuous, often in a regular zig-zag line. Leaves linear, oblanceolate to 15 cm long and 12 mm wide, flat, generally spreading but sometimes reflexed, glabrous with prominent mid-vein, tapered towards the base into a somewhat twisted wrinkled pulvinus. Small glands near the base. Inflorescences axillary, solitary or in flexuose racemes owing to the reduction of phyllodes, with globular, golden yellow flower-heads. Flowers at irregular periods throughout the year. Fruits are long, brown, linear pod to 17 cm long and 6 mm wide, usually slightly curved, flattish but raised over the seeds. Margins vein-like, slightly constricted between the seeds. Seeds are hard black ellipsoid to ovoid seeds to 6 mm long and 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. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 75%. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 5,300 (107.5 g) 5,300 (107.5 g) | 80+ | 10-Nov-2004 | MKJ47 Eyre Peninsula | 31-Mar-2006 | 75% | -18°C |
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.