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Acacia longifolia (Andrews) Willd. subsp. longifolia

Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Alien to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Rounded shrub or tree, 1-10 m high, phyllodes flat, 50-200 mm long; spikes simple; pods 4-10 mm wide. Fl. yellow, Jul to Sep. Sand & gravelly lateritic soils.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 11 June 1999

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren.
IBRA Subregions
Northern Jarrah Forest, Perth, Recherche, Southern Jarrah Forest, Warren.
IMCRA Regions
WA South Coast.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Albany, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Canning, Dardanup, Denmark, Esperance, Gosnells, Joondalup, Melville, Murray, Plantagenet, Waroona, West Arthur.

Management Notes (for the Swan NRM Region)

General Biology. Growth form. Shrub/Small Tree. Reproduction. Seed. Dispersal. Water, bird, ants, soil movement, garden refuse. Time to first flowering. 2 years. Toxicity. Cyanides in the leaves can lead to stock poisoning. Vegetative Regeneration Strategy. Occasionally resprouts. Does not produce root suckers. Seedbank persistence. Long, 10+ years. Fire response. Fire stimulates mass germination of soil stored seed.

Notes. Dense stands can significantly increase nitrogen content in soil.

Additional information. Origin. Eastern Australia. History of use/introduction. Garden escape, restoration plantings. Similar native species. Acacia saligna.

Suggested method of management and control. Hand pull seedlings. Fell mature plants. Apply 250 ml Access® in 15 L of diesel to basal 50 cm of trunk, or cut and paint or drill and fill with 50% glyphosate. Older plants can be ringbarked. Monitor site for recruitment from seedbank. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.

Management Calendar

Calendar Type Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Comments
Flowering           O Y Y Y Y O    
Fruiting Y O             O Y Y    
Optimum Treatment     Y Y Y Y Y Y          

Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.

 

References

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  • Campbell, P.L. (2000) Wattle control. PPRI handbook, No.3, ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute, South Africa.
  • Fouriea, S. (2008) Composition of the soil seed bank in alien-invaded grassy fynbos: Potential for recovery after clearing. South African Journal of Botany, 74 (3): 445-453.
  • Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. & Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia. 2nd Edition. The Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park.
  • Marchante, E., Kjøllerb, A., Struweb, S. & Freitas, H. (2008) Invasive Acacia longifolia induce changes in the microbial catabolic diversity of sand dunes. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 40 (10): 2563-2568.
  • Marchante, H.S., Marchante, E.M., Buscardo, E., Maia, J. & Freitas, H. (2004) Recovery Potential of Dune Ecosystems Invaded by an Exotic Acacia Species (Acacia longifolia). Weed Technology, 18: 1427-1433.
  • Maslin, B.R. (2001) Wattle: acacias of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth.
  • Moore, J.H. & Wheeler, J. (2008) Southern weeds and their control. DAFWA Bulletin 4744.
  • Muyt, A. (2001) Bush invaders of South-East Australia: A guide to the identification and control of environmental weeds found in South-East Australia. R.G. & F.J. Richardson, Melbourne.
  • Navie, S. & Adkins, S. (2008) Environmental Weeds of Australia, An interactive identification and information resource for over 1000 invasive plants. Centre for Biological Information Technology, The University of Queensland.
  • Paczkowska, G. & Chapman, A.R. (2000) The Western Australian flora: A descriptive catalogue. Western Australian Wildflower Society (Inc.), Western Australian Herbarium and Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Perth.
  • Peltzer, S. (2008) Watch out for weedy wattles. Southcoast NRM, Department of Agriculture and Food.
  • Pemberton, R.W. & Irving, D.W. (2008) Elaiosomes on weed seeds and the potential for myrmecochory in naturalized plants. Weed Science, 38 (6): 615-619.
  • Richardson, D.M. & Klugeb, R.L. (2008) Seed banks of invasive Australian Acacia species in South Africa: Role in invasiveness and options for management. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 10 (3): 161-177.
  • Whibley, D.J.E. & Symon, D.E. (1992) Acacias of South Australia. The Flora and Fauna of South Australia Handbooks Committee, Adelaide.