Plants of
South Australia
Acacia sp. Winged (C.R.Alcock 4936)
Fabaceae
West Coast Wattle,
Angled Wattle
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Prior names

Acacia anceps (winged variant)

Common names

West Coast Wattle

Angled 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 arabicaWinged manual script name referring to the enlarged section at the base of the phyllodes which are sometimes narrowly winged.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and found on the western Eyre Peninsula and the lower York Peninsula, growing  in calcareous sand and shallow red-brown sand, in coastal dune vegetation or open scrub. Also found in Western Australia. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula
NRM regions: Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect, rigid, glabrous, spreading shrubs to 3 m high with branchlets thick and acutely angled. Phyllodes elliptic to 5.5 cm long and 3 cm wide, a very reduced pulvinus (joint at base of leaf stalk) and continuous with the branchlets (that are sometimes narrowly winged) along their adaxial edge, thick and leathery. This species is distinguished most readily from typical Acacia anceps which have phyllodes oblanceolate (to 65 mm long) and a distinct pulvinus. Inflorescences axillary with 1 dense golden globular flower-head. Flowering between September and February. Fruits are red to brown pod, flat often undulating, straight or curved with wrinkled or prominent transverse lines and thick vein-like margins. Seeds are dark brown, black or mottled elliptic seeds to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide, with a pale yellow aril wrapped around the seed. Seed embryo type is investing.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and February. 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 airtight 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:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
1,700 (27.49 g)
1,700 (27.49 g)
100+20-Dec-2017JRG641
Eyre Peninsula
30-Jun-201894%-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.
Germination table:
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