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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LEGEND

Eyre Hills (EYB03)

Eyre Yorke Block

Critically Endangered   (IUCN: CR A2bc)   (Probable Decline)   [threats: salinity, weeds, galls. Recruitment not good]

Common names

Whibley'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. Whibleyana named after David John Edward Whibley (1936-2002 ), who is remembered by systematists around Australia as a helpful 'gentle man' of Acacia at Adelaide Herbarium.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and restricted to an area within 40 km of Tumby Bay on southern Eyre Peninsula, growing on loamy soils over limestone, sometimes near brackish swamps. Native. Very rare in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Dense shrub to 2.5 m tall and spreading to 4 m diameter. Leaves elliptic to oblanceolate to 7.5 mm long and 4.5 mm wide, more or less asymmetric; tip curved to rostriform (beaked), occasionally straight, apiculate (tapered) to the 0.5 mm. Pulvinus (leaf stalk), rigid, thick wrinkled, ascending, mostly straight, occasionally slightly curved, glabrous, dull mid-green. Flower-spike a peduncle (5-11 mm long, 2 per node) with globular, bright-golden heads. Flowering between August and September. Fruits are brown narrow-oblong glabrous pod to 45 mm long and 7.5 mm wide, slightly raised over but not constricted between seeds, margins more or less thickened. Seeds are hard, dark brown to black ovoid seed to 3 mm long and 2.5 mm wide. Seed embryo type is investing.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between December 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. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).