Acacia saligna (LabillardiŠre) H. L. Wendland, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 17 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Acacia cyanophylla Lindl.; Mimosa saligna Labill.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Port Jackson wattle, Port Jackson-willow, Western Australian golden wattle, blue-leaf wattle, golden-wreath wattle, orange wattle, silver wattle, weeping wattle, willow wattle

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Bushy shrub or tree mostly 2-6 m high. Bark grey. Branchlets often pendulous, normally slightly flexuose, often pruinose (especially when young), glabrous. Phyllodes often pendulous, variable in shape and size, linear to lanceolate, straight to falcate, 7-25 cm long, (2-) 4-20 mm wide, often larger towards base of plant, green to glaucous, glabrous, with prominent midrib, finely penninerved (absent on very narrow phyllodes); gland ± disciform, 1-2 mm wide, 0-3 mm above pulvinus; pulvinus mostly 1-2 mm long, coarsely wrinkled. Inflorescences mostly 2-10-headed racemes, enclosed when young by imbricate bracts, with bract scars evident at anthesis; raceme axes mostly 3-30 mm long, glabrous; peduncles 5-15 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, mostly 7-10 mm in diameter at anthesis and 25-55-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals c. 4/5-united. Pods linear, flat, shallowly constricted between seeds, 8-12 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to slightly elliptic, 5-6 mm long, shiny, dark brown to black; aril clavate"  (Flora of Australia online).

Habitat/ecology:  In its native range (Australia), "grows in a variety of habitats, including poor sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain, clayey soil around Geraldton, the sandplains north of Gingin, the Darling Range and the Great Southern region (where it is ± restricted to creeks and rivers), deep sands associated with watercourses (e.g. south coast of Western Australia), the base of granite boulders in the wheatbelt, and in coastal dune systems (often forming dense thickets in the hollows between sand hills)"  (Flora of Australia online). "Acacia saligna grows mainly on sandy, coastal plains, but it is also found in a wide variety of environments, from swampy sites and river banks to small, rocky hills (often granitic) and slopes of coastal ranges. It is also found by creeks and disturbed roadsides. The plant tolerates salt spray, soil salinity and alkalinity. The associated vegetation types include open, dry evergreen forest, temperate woodland and semi-arid woodland".  (Agroforestree Database).  "A very adaptable and aggressive species which has become naturalised on coastal sand dunes where it was planted for dune rehabilitation, along major highways were it was included in revegetation plantings, and as a garden escape into open forests, particularly where disturbance has occurred"  (PlantNET:  New South Wales Flora Online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Southern and southwestern Western Australia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013)

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	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Southern and southwestern Western Australia
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013) Naturalized
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

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)

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