Prickly Acacia
Prickly Acacia – Acacia nilotica
WEED OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE (WoNS)
Declared Plant WA (Kimberley)
P1 Movement of plants and seeds prohibited
P2 Infestations to be eradicated
Habit: Spiny tree to 10m. Feathery (bipinnate) leaves. Pale green-grey seed pods. Flowers are fluffy yellow balls.
Spread: Animals spread the seeds by eating seed pods. Also spread in water and on muddy tyres.
Prickly Acacia is an example of yet another prickly shrub introduced as shade tree. Unfortunately, as with most introduced and prickly species, there is an absence of specific predators and it is generally unpalatable to grazing animals, results in an efficient and destructive spread across the landscape. Prickly Acacia is one of the twenty weeds of national significance (WONS) species and though it is is only present in a few isolated localities within the Kimberley, it has a great potential to spread and wreak ecological havoc as it has done in Queensland.
(Photo: Noel Wilson)
Prickly Acacia has a typical balled yellow Acacia flower.
(Photo: Noel Wilson)
The seed pods are distinctivley white and up to 25cm long. They are distinctly constricted around the seeds. These seeds are spread easily by cattle who eat the seed pods and redistribute the seeds. Seed pods also easily float in water and new populations are often located along watercourses and drainage lines.
(Photo: Noel Wilson)
Prickly Acacia (above) has much larger spines than the native Acacia farnesiana (below).
These species respond as increasers to overgrazed situations.
(Photo: Louise Williams)
Acacia farnesiana (native species)
(Photo: Louise Williams)
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