Acacia repanda
Contents
General Plant Info
Acacia repanda is a large shrub 0.5– 2 m high, that has a restricted distribution to shrublands in granite outcrops in Western Australia.
Related to Acacia ephedroides which has appressed-pubescent branchlets, longer, filiform phyllodes and longer, less undulate pods.
Geographic distribution
Endemic to Australia, it usually grows in loam or sandy loam near granite outcrops, in heath, scrub and shrubland.
It was previously known from two main areas, Holt Rock area and Wongan Hills, however, it has not been collected in the latter since 1935 and it is presumed to be extinct in this area. Currently the species is known from 3 locations (excluding the Wongan Hills record and making the assumption that increasing salinity might affect populations in nature reserves differently than those outside of these).
The area of occupancy warrants listing this species in an Endangered category (AOO ~32 km2 based on 2x2 cells ). The total extent of occurrence of the species qualifies it as Vulnerable (EOO ~7,800 km2) and if the species is not found in the Wongan Hills area then it would qualify as Endangered (EOO ~780 km2). The habitat is highly fragmented due to clearing for agriculture and there is a continuing decline in the quality of the habitat mainly due to higher salinity and mining activities. Further changes in species dynamics are due to changes in fire regimes and introduced weeds and grazing pressure. The species is currently known from three locations (excluding the Wogan Hills record and making the assumption that increasing salinity might affect subpopulations in nature reserves differently than those outside of these).
Beard’s Provinces: South-West Province.
IBRA Regions: Avon Wheatbelt, Mallee.
IBRA Subregions: Avon Wheatbelt P2, Western Mallee.
Local Government Areas (LGAs): Kondinin, Kulin, Lake Grace, Wongan-Ballidu.
Identification
Shrub 0.5– 2 m high. Bark ‘Minni-Ritchi’. Branchlets with spreading hairs.
Phyllodes patent to ascending, terete to flat and linear to linear-oblanceolate, shallowly to moderately incurved, 3.5– 6 cm long, 1– 3 mm wide, rigid, grey-green, glabrous or sparsely and loosely subappressed-pubescent, with 8 prominent nerves separated by deep furrows, 3-nerved per face when flat.
Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; heads sessile, subglobular to broadly ellipsoid, 5– 8 mm long, 4.5– 5 mm diam., 20– 25-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/2– 3/4-united.
Pods narrowly oblong, strongly undulate, to 3 cm long, 4 mm wide, coriaceous, villous with light golden or white hairs and normally with minute red resin-hairs intermixed. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic to oblong-ovate, 2.5– 3 mm long, glossy, dark brown-black and obscurely mottled yellow; funicle/aril fold at base of seed.
Alkaloid content
Extraction
Other uses
Cultivation
Suppliers
The seeds for this species have been collected as part of the Millennium Seed Bank project.
Seeds are located at: Wakehurst Place, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK) and Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth (Australia).
Links
http://threatenedplants.myspecies.info/sites/threatenedplants.myspecies.info/files/Species%20Summary%20-%20Acacia%20repanda%20.pdf http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/19892935/0 https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/14139
