Acacia mangium Willd., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

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

Common name(s): [more details]

English: black wattle, hickory wattle, mangium

Maori (Cook Islands): ākasia, ākātia, ākātia

Pohnpeian: tuhkehn pwelmwahu

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Medium to tall, spreading tree; branches glabrous; phyllodes 10-20 cm X 5-10 cm, lanceolate or ovate, conspicuously veined, light or dark green; flower-heads rod-like, 6-10 cm long, white, sparse, on hairy peduncles about 1 cm long; pods long, slender, coiled or twisted and contorted"  (Elliot and Jones, 1982; p. 81).

Habitat/ecology:  "Best suited to high rainfall areas and deep soils."  (Elliot and Jones, 1982; p. 81)

Propagation:  Seed.

Native range:  Australia (Queensland), Molluccan Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia (Irian Jaya).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ofu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 39) Not common.
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ofu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1999) (voucher ID: BISH 687363) Taxon name on voucher: Acacia mangium Willd.
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. Field notes) Not common.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Falanruw, Marjorie (1999) (p. Field notes.) Not common. Sparingly naturalized.
Cook Islands Northern Cook Islands	Penrhyn (Tongareva) Island		Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 6)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1991) (voucher ID: BISH 666206) Taxon name on voucher: Acacia mangium Willd.
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 6)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 6)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 6)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	introduced	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. (2000) (p. 25)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Falanruw, Marjorie (1999) (p. Field notes.) Some naturalization.
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Falanruw, Marjorie (1999) (p. Field notes.)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Falanruw, Marjorie (1999) (p. Field notes.)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 33)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 76) Voucher cited: Gay in MacKee 42354
New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) New Guinea Island	New Guinea Island	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2007)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 17, 84) Sparingly naturalized.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced	Pallawatta, Nirmalie/Reaser, Jamie K./Gutierrez, Alixis T./eds. (2003) (p. 81)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 12)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 12)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 43)

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)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2007)

Comments:  A small amount of planting on Saipan. One isolated individual naturalized seedling was noted on disturbed soil (Space & Falanruw, 1999).

On Pohnpei, a patch of naturalized seedlings without a local seed source was noted. Should be monitored for naturalization and spread (Space & Falanruw, 1999).

Spreading from an old species trial on Yap (per Duane Nelson, pers. com.)

Reported as invasive in Sabah and Africa (Cronk and Fuller, 1995; p. 241). Reported to be invasive on Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia (Grant Flanagan, pers. com.).

Control: 

Physical: Girdle large trees, pull seedlings.

Additional information:  Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".
Information from the Purdue University NewCROP web site.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

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

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

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2007. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1991. Voucher specimen #BISH 666206 (Sykes, W.R. 474802).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1999. Voucher specimen #BISH 687363 (Flynn, T. 6599).

Cronk, Q. C. B./Fuller, J. L. 2001. Plant invaders. Earthscan Publications, Ltd., London. 241 pp.

Elliot, W. R./Jones, D. L. 1982. Encyclopaedia of Australia plants. Lothian Pub. Co., Melbourne.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2005. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Pallawatta, Nirmalie/Reaser, Jamie K./Gutierrez, Alixis T./eds. 2003. Invasive alien species in south-southeast Asia: national reports and directory of resources. Global Invasive Species Programme. 111 pp.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 40:1-69. .

Space, James C./Falanruw, Marjorie. 1999. Observations on invasive plant species in Micronesia. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. Report to the Pacific Islands Committee, Council of Western State Foresters. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 32 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2000. Observations on invasive plant species in American Samoa.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 51 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. 2000. Invasive plant species in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 41 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.