Acacia mearnsii De Wild.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Misty Manor Hotel Site, Vumba

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Black wattle (English)
Frequency:	Locally abundant in the E Highlands
Status:	Introduced
Description:	Unarmed shrub or small tree, to 15 m. Leaves: rhachis bearing glands on upper side, not only at the junction of each pair of pinnae but at other points as well. Leaves with c.12-20 pairs of pinnae; leaflets to 4 mm, numerous. Flowers pale yellow. Pods beaded, with 3-12 segments.
Notes:	A very fast growing species, flowering and producing large amounts of seeds within a year. The germination of the seeds is stimulated by fires. It is very similar to A. dealbata, another Australian invader, which lacks the glands between the top pairs of pinnae. The leaves of A. dealbata are grey-green, giving the trees a much lighter appearance than A. mearnsii. When in flower, the two species are more easily separated as the flowers of A. dealbata are bright yellow, while those of A. mearnsii are very pale yellow or cream. Also see A. melanoxylon for comparison.
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	An aggressive invader of grasslands and forest margins in high rainfall areas of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Altitude range: (metres)	Above 1200 m
Flowering time:	Sep
Worldwide distribution:	Native of Australia; naturalised in southern Africa.
Zimbabwe distribution:	E
Growth form:	ST
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects (whose larvae eat this species):	Chiasmia simplicilinea (Oblique peacock)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Monday 17 October 2005
Literature:	Biegel, H.M. (1977). Check-list of ornamental plants used in Rhodesian parks and gardens. Rhodesia Agricultural Journal. Research Report No. 3. Page 17.

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Other sources of information about Acacia mearnsii:

Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Acacia mearnsii page
Flora of Mozambique: Acacia mearnsii
African Plant Database: Acacia mearnsii
Biodiversity Explorer (Biodiversity of southern Africa): Acacia mearnsii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Acacia mearnsii
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Acacia mearnsii
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Acacia mearnsii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Acacia mearnsii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Acacia mearnsii
JSTOR Plant Science: Acacia mearnsii
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Acacia mearnsii
Tropicos: Acacia mearnsii
West African Plants database: Acacia mearnsii