Acacia holosericea A.Cunn. ex G.Don, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 4 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Racosperma holosericeum (A. Cunn. ex G. Don) Pedley

Common name(s): [more details]

English: candelabra wattle, fish-poison wattle, silver-leaved wattle, soap bush

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Shrub or tree 3-8 m high. Branchlets acutely angled but normally ±terete by 20-30 cm below apex, usually sericeous, sometimes glabrous. Young shoots silvery sericeous, sometimes glabrous. Phyllodes obliquely narrowly elliptic, 10-20 cm long, normally 2-5 cm wide, with unequal base, usually sericeous; mucro 1-3 mm long; normally 3 prominent nerves per face confluent and contiguous with abaxial margin at base; minor nerves forming a somewhat open longitudinally orientated reticulum; glands basal and at base of mucro on at least some phyllodes. Inflorescences rudimentary racemes with axes to 0.5 mm long; peduncles 3-7 mm long, sericeous, sometimes glabrous; spikes normally 2-4 cm long, golden; bracteoles linear-spathulate, 1-1.5 mm long. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods tightly and often somewhat irregularly coiled, 2.5-4 mm wide, thinly crustaceous to coriaceous-crustaceous, ±glabrous, remaining as entangled clumps following dehiscence. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 3.5 mm long, shiny, dark brown; aril bright yellow"  (Flora of Australia online).

Habitat/ecology:  In Australia, "grows in sometimes gravelly sand or loam, commonly forming communities along watercourses"  (Flora of Australia online).  "Altitude: 150-450 m, Mean annual temperature: 19.5-34.7 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 600-1 200 mm.  Soil type: Grows on a wide range of soils from shallow acidic sandy lithosols, shallow loams, red volcanic and solodized solonets soils"  (Agroforestree database).

Propagation:  Seed.  "The early and abundant seeding of A. holosericea has the potential of making it a weed.  Seed dispersal is prompted by propulsion from drying dehiscent pods. Browsing vertebrates sometimes also play a role in seed dispersal"  (Agroforestree database).

Native range:  Australia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1975) (voucher ID: BISH 409759) Taxon name on voucher: Acacia holosericea A.Cunn. ex G.Don
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

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)	Northern Territory	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
Negara Brunei Darussalam Brunei	Brunei (Negara Brunei Darussalam)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 9) Cultivated only

Additional information:
Fact sheet from "A quick guide to useful nitrogen fixing trees from around the world".
Fact sheet from the Agroforestree Database.

Additional online information about Acacia holosericea is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Acacia holosericea as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Acacia holosericea may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2011. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1975. Voucher specimen #BISH409759(Fay, J.J. 301).

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

International Center for Research in Agroforestry. 2008. AgroForestryTree database: a tree species reference and selection guide (online resource). World Agroforestry Centre.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.