Acacia retinodes Schlecht., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment).

Common name(s): [more details]

English: everblooming acacia, silver wattle, swamp wattle, water wattle

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Shrub or tree 5-10 m high. Branchlets sometimes pendulous, often angled or flattened, glabrous. Phyllodes normally oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 3-22 cm long, 3-15 mm wide, sometimes uncinate, thin, green to glaucous, glabrous, 1-nerved per face, obscurely penninerved; gland not prominent, 1-10 mm above pulvinus; pulvinus 2-4 mm long. Inflorescences racemose; raceme axes normally 0.7-4 cm long, glabrous; peduncles 2-7 mm long, rather slender, glabrous; heads globular, 18-50-flowered, pale yellow, occasionally cream; bracteole laminae 0.3-0.5 mm in diameter, not prominent in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united to near apex. Pods linear, to 16 cm long, 5-7 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to oblong-elliptic, 4-6 mm long, dull to slightly shiny, dark brown to black; funicle 3/4 or more encircling seed, red-brown to blackish; aril clavate"  (Flora of Australia online).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "several plants were found spreading from cultivated plants located nearby in a cool, moist woodland setting"  (Starr & Starr, 2011).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Discontinuous in south-eastern Australia from the Eyre Peninsula, S.A. to Wilsons Promontory, Vic., also King and Flinders Islands, Tas. Seemingly absent between the Murray and Glenelg Rivers"  (Flora of Australia online).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim (2011) (p. 25) East Maui. Voucher cited: Starr & Starr 090513-01 (BISH). Original investation eradicated but as of 2009 persisting from seed bank.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1999) (voucher ID: BISH 661865) Taxon name on voucher: Acacia retinodes Schlecht.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1917) (voucher ID: BISH 54417) Taxon name on voucher: Acacia retinodes Schlecht.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 77) Vouchers cited: MacKee 15894, MacKee 26336

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) South Australia, Tasmania [Flinders Island], Victoria
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Acacia retinodes, please let us know.