Botanical art
Prior names
Acacia salicina var. wayi (as wayae)
Acacia salicina var. minor
Common names
Coast Umbrella-bush
Cup 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. Cupularis from Latin meaning a little cup.
Distribution and status
Found in sub-coastal regions of South Australia from the west coast, southern Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, southern Mount Lofty Ranges, eastern end of Kangaroo Island and the Murray lakes to the South East, as far inland as Bordertown, growing on sand, dunes or in silt or sandy clay. Also found in Western Australia and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Nullarbor, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Rounded shrubs to 2 m high and wide, glabrous with older stems grey and smooth and branchlets mostly dark red-brown, often slightly pruinose. Leaves erect, glaucous to dark green, narrowly linear to 7 cm long and 4 mm wide; more or less thick, finely wrinkled when dry, flat, straight, midrib not prominent. Inflorescences axillary raceme with 2-3 globular, golden-yellow flowers. Flowering between August and November. Fruits are long, smooth or finely striate, dark brown pod to 7 cm long and 5 mm wide, breaking readily. Seeds are hard, pale brown and elliptical to ovoid to 5 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 | 6,700 (81.55 g) | 4 | 30-Dec-2005 | KHB32 Flinders Ranges | 1-Aug-2006 | 100% | -18°C |
| BGA | 2,200 (43.48 g) | 4 | 24-Dec-2005 | KHB26 Murray | 1-Aug-2006 | 90% | -18°C |
| BGA MSB | 3,200 (78.56 g) 3,200 (78.56 g) | 25+ | 20-Dec-2005 | KHB22 Southern Lofty | 1-Aug-2006 | 95% | -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.