Kangaroo Wattle,
Kangaroo Thorn,
Hedge 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
Display IBRA region text
Bridgewater (NCP01) | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Least Concern [question if introduced] |
Lucindale (NCP03) | | Least Concern (Probable Increase) [spreading] |
Tintinara (NCP04) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [Mt Monster] |
Kangaroo Island (KAN01) | Kanmantoo | Least Concern |
Fleurieu (KAN02) | | Least Concern |
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01) | Flinders Lofty Block | Least Concern |
Broughton (FLB02) | | Least Concern |
Olary Spur (FLB03) | | Least Concern |
Southern Flinders (FLB04) | | Least Concern |
Central Flinders (FLB06) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) [northern edge of range] |
Southern Yorke (EYB01) | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern [Is it native or weedy] |
St Vincent (EYB02) | | Least Concern |
Eyre Hills (EYB03) | | Least Concern |
Talia (EYB04) | | Least Concern |
Murray Mallee (MDD02) | Murray Darling Depression | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) [edge of range; climatge change a threat] |
Murray Lakes and Coorong (MDD03) | | Least Concern [edge of range] |
Lowan Mallee (MDD04) | | Least Concern (Probable Increase) [farmers say increasing] |
Wimmera (MDD05) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [in Frances cemetary] |
3 of 4 subregions | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Least Concern , Rare |
2 of 2 subregions | Kanmantoo | Least Concern |
5 of 6 subregions | Flinders Lofty Block | Least Concern , Rare |
4 of 5 subregions | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern |
4 of 6 subregions | Murray Darling Depression | Least Concern , Rare |
Botanical art
Kath Alcock paintings: 9
Prior names
Acacia armata
Common names
Kangaroo Wattle
Kangaroo Thorn
Hedge 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. Paradoxa from the Greek 'para' meaning near and 'doxa' meaning glory, splendour; may refer to this unattractive and thorny shrub being a showy plant when in full bloom.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia, growing on hard alkaline red duplex, hard acidic or neutral yellow duplex and shallow calcareous loamy soil in woodland, open forest and open scrub vegetation. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria and naturalised in Western Australia and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in Queensland. Common in New South Wales and Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Straggly to dense shrub or tree to 4 m high with ribbed branchlets, often arched down. Leaves erect, asymmetric, usually lanceolate, sometimes narrowly oblong-elliptic to 30 mm long and 7 mm wide; glabrous to sparsely hairy; abaxial margin usually undulate, acute or obtuse, with a pungent mucro; midrib usually off-centre; stipules spiny. Flower-spike axillary, single with globular, golden flower-heads. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are dark brown linear to narrowly oblong pod to 60 mm long and 5 mm wide, densely hairy. Seeds are hard, dark brown to black, oblong to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide. Seed embryo type is investing.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October 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).
Germination table:
Display
Date | Result | T0 | T50 | Pre-treatment | Germination medium | Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod |
Mar-15 | 90% | 14 | 21 |
seed coat nicked with scalpel; 1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions |
Mar-15 | 82% | 14 | 21 |
seed coat nicked with scalpel; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions |
Mar-15 | 28% | 14 | NA |
1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions |
Mar-15 | 22% | 14 | NA |
1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions |
Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)