Botanical art
Prior names
Acacia retinodes var. retinodes "swamp variant"
Acacia sp. Swamp (N.M.Smith 3022)
Acacia rhetinodes, orth.var., partly
Common names
Swamp 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. Provincialis relates to the description from cultivated specimens grown in France from the Provence Region.
Distribution and status
Found in the Mount Lofty Ranges and on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, growing in wet areas in creeks and swamps. Also found in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Slender, erect to medium-spreading tree to 10 m tall with solitary trunk or often dividing near ground level into several ascending stems; crowns open to bushy. Branchlets reddish brown, often lightly pruinose; prominently flattened and angular, ribbed; often continuous below, decurrent down the stems at first but soon terete, glabrous. Bark smooth, grey. Leaves variable (according to growth phase of plants, habitat and seasonal conditions) from 100 mm to 150mm long and 4 to 35 mm wide; straight or shallowly recurved, glabrous, blue-green to grey-green. Inflorescences racemose with globular, golden to pale yellow flower-heads. Flowering between October and December. Fruits are linear brown pod to 160 mm long and 8 mm wide. Seeds are hard, dark brown to black to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide. Seed embryo type is investing.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. 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).
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 27,900 (279 g) 27,900 (279 g) | 100+ | 15-Dec-2004 | MKJ52 Kangaroo Island | 31-Mar-2006 | 100% | -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.