Acacia melanoxylon R.Br. ex Aiton, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 12 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Australian blackwood, blackwood, blackwood acacia

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Unarmed, evergreen tree 8-15 (-20)m high; trunk straight, crown dense and pyramidal to cylindrical. Leaves: Phyllodes greyish turning dark dull-green, straight to slightly curved, with 3-7 prominent longitudinal veins and fine net-veins between; often bipinnate on young plants and coppice shoots. Flowers: Pale yellow, globular flower heads. Fruits: Reddish-brown pods, narrower than leaves, slightly constricted, twisted; seeds almost encircled by pinkish-red seed stalks" (Henderson, 1995; p. 56).

Habitat/ecology:  "Forest edges and gaps, grass- and heathland, scrubland, riparian habitats"  (Weber, 2003; p. 17).  Native to rainforests in Australia, it is best adapted to cooler, moist sites. In Hawai‘i, widely planted as a forestry tree, now "naturalized throughout the Kokee State Park region of Kauai" and on East Maui (Lorence et al., 1995; p. 36).

Propagation:  Seed, sprouts profusely from roots. Reproduces prolifically after fire.

Native range:  Australia.

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	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 36) Vouchers cited: D. Lorence et al. 5806 (PTBG, US), T. Flynn 1988 (PTBG), T. Croat 44962 (MO, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 640) East Maui
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Meidell, J. Scott/Oppenheimer, H. L./Bartlett, R. T. (1998) (pp. 7-8) West Maui. Voucher cited: Meidell & Oppenheimer 166 (BISH) A serious threat to native shrubland.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 640)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 640)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 76) Voucher cited: Gay in MacKee 42361

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)	New South Wales	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2007)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2007)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 708) "Waste places, often coastal".
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced invasive	Cronk, Q. C. B./Fuller, J. L. (2001) (p. 132)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
South Africa South Africa	South Africa (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Comments:  A noxious weed species in South Africa (Henderson, 1995; p. 56). Has been used for forestry plantings in Hawai‘i, New Zealand and South Africa.

Control: 

Physical:  Pull or dig out small seedlings, making sure to remove roots.

Chemical:  Cut large plants and treat the cut stumps with herbicide.

Biological: Melanterius acaciae Lea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) introduced into South Africa and under evaluation (Julien, 1992; p. 72).

Additional information:  Environmental stewardship abstract from The Nature Conservancy.
Fact sheet from "Common forest trees of Hawaii" (PDF format).

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

Taxonomic information about Acacia melanoxylon 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.

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

Henderson, Lesley. 1995. Plant invaders of Southern Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute Handbook No. 5, Agriculture Research Council, ARC/LNR, Pretoria, South Africa. 177 pp.

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

Julien, M. H. (ed.). 1992. Biological control of weeds: A world catalogue of agents and their target weeds (third edition). CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 186 pp.

Little, Elbert L./Skolmen, Roger G. 1989. Common forest trees of Hawaii (native and introduced). USDA Agriculture Handbook 679. Washington, D.C. 377 pp. + plates.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. 1995. Contributions to the flora of Hawai‘i. III. New additions, range extensions, and rediscoveries of flowering plants. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 41:19-58.

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

Meidell, J. Scott/Oppenheimer, H. L./Bartlett, R. T. 1998. New plant records from West Maui. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1997. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 56:6-8.

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

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.