About
Contact
Links
Electronic Flora of South Australia
Electronic Flora of South Australia
Census of SA Plants, Algae & Fungi
Identification tools
 

Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Fabaceae
Acacia mitchellii

Citation: G. Bentham, Hook. Lond. J.Bot. 1:387 (1842).

Derivation: mitchellii--in honour of Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (1792-1855), a surveyor, explorer and botanical collector.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Mitchell's wattle

Description:
Low, diffuse, spreading-erect shrubs 0.5-2 m high; branches not much divided, almost terete, slightly resinous, pubescent with short, whitish, spreading hairs; stipules minute.

Leaves bipinnate, eglandular indumentum as on branches (except for pinnules); petiole 0.5-1.5 mm long; rachis 1-15 mm long, terete or furrowed above; pinnae 1-3 pairs; pinnules 2-7 pairs, oblong-obovate, sometimes elliptic, flat, glabrous, light green, obscurely 1-veined, obtuse, often with a minute point.

Inflorescences simple, solitary or twin but sometimes appearing shortly racemose at ends of branchlets due to leaf reduction; flower-heads globular, pale-yellow, 30-45-flowered; peduncles 10-20 mm long, slightly pubescent or glabrous; flowers 5-merous.

Legumes narrowly-oblong, 2-5 cm long, 4-7 mm broad, straight or curved, firmly chartaceous, flat but somewhat raised over seeds, glabrous, brown, margins slightly or unevenly constricted between seeds. Seeds longitudinal in legume, obloid-obovoid; funicle short, abruptly thickened into an oblique clavate aril.

Distribution:  A minor local occurrence in the South-Eastern region near Mount Gambier, in woodland or open scrub with heath understorey, associated with Eucalyptus baxteri and Acacia oxycedrus. Soils: leached sands with a hardpan, deep dark porous loamy soils. Rainfall 700-800 mm. Also N.S.W. and Vic.

S.Aust.: SE.

Conservation status: Lang & Kraehenbuehl (1987) consider this species to be Vulnerable.

Flowering time: Irregular times during the year, mainly summer months December — February.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: The six native bees foraging on A. mitchellii flowering in Victoria were studied by Bernhardt & Walker (1984). More bee taxa were taken from the summer flowering A. mitchellii than the late winter-spring flowering A. myrtifolia and A. pycnantha. Analysis of the pollen loads showed that the bees ranged from specialist to generalist collectors and that 42% of the bees collected also carried pollen of other genera (mostly nectar bearing).

Cultivation: A very attractive ornamental small shrub, with feathery foliage and pale yellow flowers. It does well in cool high rainfall areas, under shelter and protection of larger trees and shrubs. Fast growth rate.

Author: Not yet available

Source:


Disclaimer Copyright Disclaimer Copyright Email Contact:
State Herbarium of South Australia
Government of South Australia Government of South Australia Government of South Australia Department for Environment and Water