Botanical art
Common names
Quorn 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. Quornensis refer to the location of the type specimen, a hill near Quorn in the Flinders Ranges.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and restricted to two locations in the Flinders Ranges, around Quorn and Hawker growing in low woodland vegetation associated with Callitris, along rocky creeks or on to the lower slopes of the ranges in shallow calcareous loamy soil. Native. Locally common but rare in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect, glaucous, spreading bushy shrubs to 3 m high. Branches slightly angled but soon becoming almost terete with thin, greyish bark on mature stems and trunk. Leaves lanceolate to 5 cm long and 8 mm wide; straight or slightly curved, flat, glabrous, pale green with vein-like pale yellow margins and small glands on upper margin near the base. Inflorescences in axillary racemes with globular, yellow flower-heads. Flowering between September and November. Fruits are light brown, oblong pod to 12 cm long and 10 mm wide, flat but raised over the seeds, with thick margins slightly constricted between the seeds. Seeds are hard, black semi-flat ovoid seed to 6 mm long and 4 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. From one collection, the seed viability was average at 60%. 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 | 1,800 (27.98 g) 1,800 (27.98 g) | 5-Dec-2005 | TEE3 Eyre Peninsula | 1-Aug-2006 | 60% | -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.