Section 1: Prickly acacia—ecology and threat - Weeds Australia

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Prickly acacia— ecology and threat
2 Section 1 Prickly acacia—ecology and threat Nathan March Taxonomy Prickly acacia, Acacia nilotica, is a highly variable species consisting of nine subspecies found from South Africa to the Middle East, Pakistan and India. The populations found in Australia are A. nilotica subsp. indica, which originates from Pakistan and India (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001). Description Prickly acacia is a thorny shrub or small tree that usually grows to 5 m but occasionally to 10 m. The tree has an umbrella-shaped canopy and is usually single-stemmed but may be multi-stemmed at the base, particularly if damaged by fire or frost. Bark on the saplings often has an orange and/or green tinge. Mature trees have a rough, brown to black bark. The tree has a very deep taproot and several branching lateral roots close to the soil surface. Leaves are finely divided and fern-like with pairs of stout thorns growing at the base. The flowers, which are ball-shaped, golden-yellow and about 1 cm across, grow on the stems with two to six flowers per group. The greygreen pods are a very good distinguishing feature—they are flat, 6–25 cm long, with narrow constrictions between the seeds. They usually contain 8–15 brown, rounded seeds with a very hard seed coat. � Tree � Bark on sapling � Thorns and foliage Nathan March Nathan March Nathan March
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Section 1: Prickly acacia—ecology and threat - Weeds Australia

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