Biology:Acacia holosericea
| Strap wattle | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Acacia |
| Species: | A. holosericea
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| Binomial name | |
| Acacia holosericea | |
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Acacia holosericea, commonly known as candelabra wattle, soapbush, silver wattle, silver-leaved wattle[2] and silky wattle[3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to tropical northern Australia. It is a shrub or tree with narrowly elliptic phyllodes, spikes of golden yellow flowers and tightly and sometimes irregularly coiled pods that remain as entangled clumps after the seeds have been released.
Description
Acacia holosericea is a shrub or tree that typically grows to 3–8 m (9.8–26.2 ft) high and 4 m (13 ft)[4] wide, and has branchlets and young shoots covered with silvery, silky hairs, or sometimes glabraous. Its phyllodes are obliquely narrowly elliptic, 100–200 mm (3.9–7.9 in) long, 20–50 mm (0.79–1.97 in) wide and usually covered with silky hairs, usually with three to four prominent veins. The flowers are golden yellow and borne in rod-like spikes 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long on a peduncle 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long. The pods are tightly and somewhat irregularly coiled, 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) wide, thinly crusty to leathery and more or less glabrous, remaining as entangled clumps after the seeds have been released. The seeds are oblong, 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long, shiny dark brown with a bright yellow aril.[2][5][6][7]
Taxonomy
Acacia holosericea was first formally described in 1832 by George Don in his book A General History of Dichlamydeous Plants from an unpublished manuscript by Allan Cunningham.[8][9] In 1978, Leslie Pedley nominated the specimens collected by Cunningham at Port Keats on the Cambridge Gulf as the lectotype.[10] The [[specific epithet) (holosericea) means 'entirely silky'.[11]
Distribution and habitat
Candelabra wattle is widespread in northern Australia extending from Derby in Western Australia, east across the Northern Territory to near Rockhampton in eastern Queensland. Smaller populations are found in arid regions of the Pilbara in the Hamersley Range, in central parts of the Northern Territory and in south-western Queensland near Blackall. It is found in and around ephemeral watercourses growing in gravelly sand or loamy soils.[6]
Conservation status
Acacia holosericea is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[12] as of "least concern" under the Northern Territory Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act[13] and the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[14]
Use in horticulture
This species of wattle can be grown by seed, although the seeds must be scarified prior to planting. It grows quickly and well in a sunny, reasonably well drained position in most soil types. It is suitable as a feature plant or as a hedge or screen plant. It has attractive foliage and fruit, and can be grown in tropical areas.[4]
Uses
Indigenous Australians used the plant as a fish poison.[3] The seeds of the plant are known to be edible.[15]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Acacia holosericea". Australian Plant Census. https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/64393.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Acacia holosericea A.Cunn. ex G.Don". Wattle - Acacias of Australia. Department of the Environment and Energy. https://apps.lucidcentral.org/wattle/text/entities/acacia_holosericea.htm.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Acacia holosericea". Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. 2020. https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/Acacia_holosericea.htm.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Acacia holosericea". Wattles - Genus Acacia. Australian National Botanic Gardens. http://www.anbg.gov.au/acacia/species/A-holosericea.html.
- ↑ Maslin, Bruce R.; Kodela, Philip G.. "Acacia holosericea". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra.. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Acacia%20holosericea.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Acacia holosericea". Wattles of the Pilbara. Department of Environment and Conservation. 2010. http://worldwidewattle.com/speciesgallery/descriptions/pilbara/html/holosericea.htm.
- ↑ Elliot, W.R., and Jones, D.L., Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants, 1982, ISBN 0-85091-143-5
- ↑ "Acacia holosericea". APNI. https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/rest/instance/apni/470892.
- ↑ Don, George (1832). A general history of the dichlamydeous plants. London. p. 406. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/9907#page/415/mode/1up. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Pedley, Leslie (1978). "A revision of Acacia Mill. in Queensland, Part 1.". Austrobaileya 1 (2): 181–182. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/322076#page/112/mode/1up. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 223. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ↑ "Acacia holosericea". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/3372.
- ↑ "Acacia holosericea". Northern Territory Government. https://eflora.nt.gov.au/factsheet?id=3463.
- ↑ "Taxon - Acacia holosericea". Queensland Government WildNet. https://wildnet.science-data.qld.gov.au/taxon-detail?taxon_id=15755&tab=0&backQuery=advanced%253Dfalse%2526location_search_by%253Darea%2526sightings_page_size%253D100%2526species_page_size%253D100%2526tab%253D0%2526taxon_name%253DAcacia%252Bholosericea.
- ↑ Low, T., Wild Food Plants of Australia, 1988. ISBN 0-207-16930-6
Wikidata ☰ Q2712437 entry
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