Purple-wood Wattle - profile

Indicative distribution

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Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Acacia carneorum

Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable

Commonwealth status: Vulnerable

Profile last updated: 14 Oct 2024

Description

The Purple-wood Wattle (formerly Acacia carnei) is a dark green and prickly shrub to small tree, 2 - 4 m tall. Plants have a striking, deep-purple heartwood. The phyllodes (wattle leave) are rigid and needle-like, sharply pointed, four-angled and are 2 - 6.5 cm long and 1 - 3 mm wide. Flower-heads are spherical, golden-yellow in colour and are on hairy stalks 12 - 25 mm long. The pods are hard and woody with a short white downiness, straight to strongly curved and are slightly constricted between seeds. The pods are 3 - 5 cm long and 10 mm wide.

Distribution

Occurs in the far western plains, south from west of Tibooburra to the Menindee area. Also has a limited distribution in SA.

Habitat and ecology

Grows in grassland and woodland in red, sandy soil; also found in Mulga communities on sand dunes, level sandy sites and alluvial accumulations along watercourses; recorded from inland semi-arid Acacia and Casuarina shrublands and woodlands.
Preferred soils are shallow, calcareous and loamy, and include brown earths, crusty alkaline soils and neutral red duplex soils; confined to red-earth dune soils in Kinchega NP as a dominant or occasionally co-dominant, usually on dune crests or slopes.
Associated species include Alectryon oleifolius, Casuarina cristata, C. pauper, Maireana pyramidata, Eucalyptus socialis and Enchyleana tomentosa.
A long-lived perennial that flowers at any time of year; rarely sets seed but produces new suckers, independent of root disturbance, either annually or biannually in two growth pulses in autumn and spring (during average or above average rainfall years).
Tends to occur in colonies of 20 to 60 plants, which are clonal; seed viability is generally low and the majority of seeds are non-dormant when released from the pods, which remain on the parent plant for several years after dehiscence.
Observed as common in gregarious groupings on sandhills and ridges; populations in Kinchega NP grow in tall shrublands, comprising a mixture of ramets from a limited number of genetically distinct individuals, with isolated populations likely to be genetically distinct.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Threats

Rabbit grazing pressure causes a lack of recruitment in populations. Regeneration is severely limited by rabbit grazing, as newly emergent sucker recruits are consumed at the base. Rabbits also contribute to mortality or dieback of established plants by damaging the bark.
Kangaroos and goats also strip the stems of phyllodes, often killing the plant.
Erosion of habitat, caused by the undermining of the soil by rabbits, exposes the roots of plants particularly on destabilised sand dunes
Cattle sheltering under trees of this species contribute to further destabilising of the soil.
The low seed viability and low rate of seedling recruitment are also major threats to the long-term survival of the species.

Recovery strategies

Priority actions are the specific, practical things that must be done to recover a threatened species, population or ecological community. The Office of Environment and Heritage has identified 19 priority actions to help recover the Purple-wood Wattle in New South Wales.

Activities to assist this species

Some form of rabbit control is necessary to maintain populations in the long-term; give high priority to further rabbit control in areas on pastoral leases, particularly following heavy rains that would result in significant suckering.
Protect from kangaroo and goat grazing.
Do not permit further clearing of potential habitat.
Protect known seed sources (successful seed production is limited to very few populations, with only two study sites representing known seed sources).
Exclude mining and destructive mineral exploration from any areas containing this species.
Initiate monitoring programs at sites with construction of rabbit, stock and goat-proof exclosures around representative populations.
Baseline surveys are required to confirm known populations and to locate new ones.

Information sources

Auld, T.D. (1990) Regeneration in populations of the arid zone plants Acacia carnei and A. oswaldii. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 16: 267-272
Auld, T.D. (1993) The impact of grazing on regeneration of the shrub Acacia carnei in arid Australia. Biological Conservation 65: 165-176
Auld, T.D. and Denham, A.J. (2001) Flora conservation issues at Kinchega National Park, western NSW. Cunninghamia 7(1): 27-42
Ayers, D., Nash, S. and Baggett, K. (1996) Threatened Species of Western New South Wales. (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney)
Bowen, P.F. and Pressey, R.L. (1993) Localities and habitats of plants with restricted distributions in the Western Division of New South Wales. Occasional Paper No. 17. (NSW NPWS, Sydney)
Briggs, J.D. and Leigh, J.H. (1996) Rare or Threatened Australian Plants. Revised Edition. (CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne)
Cunningham, G.M., Mulham, W.E., Milthorpe, P.L. and Leigh, J.H. (1992) Plants of Western New South Wales. (Inkata Press, Sydney)
Davies, R.J.P. (1995) Threatened plant species management in the arid pastoral zone of South Australia. (Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Kensington, South Australia)
Denham, A.J. & Auld, T.D. (2004) Survival and recruitment of seedlings and suckers of trees and shrubs of the Australian arid zone following habitat management and the outbreak of Rabbit Calicivirus Disease (RCD). Austral Ecology 29: 585-599
Hall, N. and Johnson, L.A.S. (1993) The names of acacias of New South Wales - with a guide to pronunciation of botanical names. (Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney)
Kodela, P.G. and Harden, G.J. (2002) Acacia. Pp 381-476 in Harden, G.J. (ed.) Flora of New South Wales. Volume 2. Revised Edition (New South Wales University Press, Sydney)
Maiden, J.H. (1916) Notes on Acacia, (with description of new species), No. 1. Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 49: 463-513
Maiden, J.H. and Blakely, W.F. (1926) Descriptions of fifteen new Acacias and notes on several other species. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 60: 171-196
Maslin, B.R. and Pedley, L. (1982) The distribution of Acacia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae) in Australia. Part 1. Species distribution maps. Western Australian Herbarium Research Notes 6: 1-128.
Morris, A. (1966) Plant life of the West Darling. (Barrier Field Naturalists Club, Broken Hill)
Palisetty, R. (2006) Effects of sheep, kangaroos and rabbits on the regeneration of trees and shrubs in the chenopod shrublands, South Australia. Unpublished PhD - University of South Australia, School of Built and Natural Environments
Porteners, M. and Robertson, G. (2003) Threatened Plants in Western New South Wales: Information Review. (NSW NPWS, Hurstville)
Pressey, R.L., Cohn, J.S. and Porter, J.L. (1990) Vascular plants with restricted distributions in the Western Division of New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 112: 213-227
Westbrooke, M.E., Kerr, M.K.C. & Leversha, J. (2001) The vegetation of Kinchega National Park, western New South Wales. Cunninghamia 7(1): 1-26
Whibley, D.J.E. (1979) Notes on Acacia carnei in South Australia. South Australian Naturalist 54(4): 12-14
Whibley, D.J.E. and Symon, D.E. (1992) Acacias of South Australia. Revised Second Edition. (South Australian Government, Adelaide)

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

Broken Hill Complex	Barrier Range	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Barrier Range Outwash	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Mootwingee Downs	Predicted	None
Broken Hill Complex	Scopes Range	Known	None
Channel Country	Bulloo	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Bulloo Dunefields	Known	None
Channel Country	Central Depression	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Core Ranges	Known	None
Channel Country	Sturt Stony Desert	Predicted	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Menindee	Known	None
Mulga Lands	Urisino Sandplains	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	White Cliffs Plateau	Predicted	None
Murray Darling Depression	South Olary Plain	Known	None
Other State	SA	Known	None
Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields	Strzelecki Desert	Known	None

Images

Foliage and flowers, Purple-wood Wattle <a href="http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/" class="linkBlack100" target="_blank">Botanic Gardens Trust</a>

Foliage and flowers, Purple-wood Wattle Botanic Gardens Trust Image 1 of 6.
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