Species profile—Acacia islana
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Leguminosae → Acacia islana
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Leguminosae
- Scientific name
- Acacia islana Pedley
- WildNet taxon ID
- 14915
- Alternate name(s)
- Isla Gorge wattle
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Vulnerable
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Short Notes
- BRI 162222
- Description
- Acacia islana is a spindly open shrub growing 2 to 4 m tall, which is glabrous and slightly resinous. The branchlets are grey to brownish, with tuberculate-ribs, which give it a bumpy appearance. The phyllodes are green in colour, 1 to 2 cm long and 0.3 to 0.5 mm wide, with no evident nerves. The phyllodes are scattered, sometimes clustered in twos or threes, slender and incurved in shape, terete to subterete. There is an apical mucro on the end of each phyllode which is excentric. There is a minute gland located 0.5 mm above the pulvinus (Pedley, 1979; Maslin, 2001).
The inflorescences are simple, 1 per axil and light golden in colour. One globular head, made up of 20 to 30 flowers occurs on each peduncle, which is 7 to 13 mm in length. There are no bracts at the base of the peduncle. The seedpods are flat, linear in shape, 3 to 6 cm long and 3 to 4 mm wide and firmly chartaceous. The seeds are longitudinal, oblong, 4 to 4.5 mm long with an oblique aril (Pedley, 1979; Maslin, 2001).
Acacia islana is a member of the 'A. johnsonii ' group and is most closely related to A. burbidgeae, the latter being distinguished by its sparse to moderately hairy branchlets and longer, subterete phyllodes. The distribution of A. islana can sometimes overlap with A. hockingsii, another member of the group located within the Isla Gorge area (Pedley, 1979; Maslin, 2001). - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Acacia islana is found the Isla Gorge area (Isla Gorge National Park), Precipice National Park, Coominglah State Forest, Carnarvon Gorge National Park and Widbury (west of Eidsvold). There are approximately nine populations of the species in Isla Gorge National, Park, and the species is documented as common (in some populations) forming a fairly dense community. In Precipice National Park and Widbury the species is also considered common in the area. There is no information regarding the population state in either Carnarvon Gorge NP or Coominglah SF (Queensland Herbarium, 2011). The species has also recently been recorded in Expedition National Park. Here two populations were found in the Melancholy Creek area and the Bellington section (Sparshott, 2009).
- Distributional limits
- -24.8309345, 147.9161257
-25.7944445, 151.1556834 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Acacia islana grows on shallow, sandy soil over sandstone. However, the species has also be found growing on brown basaltic soil in Carnarvon Gorge NP and granitic soil in sites around Widbury. Often the species has been recorded on sandstone ridgetops or gullies. Within Isla Gorge area, the species can sometimes be found growing in the same area as A. hockingsii, another species with a restricted distribution. The species has been found growing in open woodland associated with the following species; Eucalyptus decorticans, E. cloeziana, E. exserta, Corymbia trachyphloia, E. dura, E. melanophloia, Lysicarpus angustifolia and Corymbia watsoniana (Queensland Herbarium, 2011).
In Expedition National Park the species has been recorded growing in open woodland to woodland dominated by Eucalyptus major, Angophora leiocarpa, Lophostemon suaveolens, E. mediocris, Corymbia hendersonii, E. cloeziana on the sides of gorges and bases of narrow protected sections of gorges (Sparshott, 2009). - Reproduction
- There is limited information on the ecology and biology of Acacia islana. Flowering of the species has been observed August and September and mature pods have been recorded in November and December (Maslin 2001; Queensland Herbarium, 2011).
- Threatening processes
- Barker (1999) describes a number of threatening processes for Acacia islana. These include further clearing of the species and its habitat for agriculture, roads and other infrastructure developments related to timber harvesting. Frequent mild burns may also be detrimental to the species. Cattle grazing could also be an issue since cattle are known to graze seedlings of many Acacia species.
- Status notes
- Acacia islana is listed as Near Threatened under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992
- Management documents
- Barker M (1999). Acacia islana Species Management Profile, Department of Natural Resources, Queensland.
- Management recommendations
- Barker (1999) identified a number of management objectives for the protection of A. islana and its habitat. These include: development of adaptive management techniques with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services during timber harvesting in areas of A. islana occurrence, adaptive fire management and monitoring the impacts of grazing and adjusting grazing accordingly in A. islana locations.
- Notes
- Occurs in the following Queensland pastoral districts: Burnett, Leichhardt, Maranoa (Bostock and Holland, 2010).
- References
- Barker, M. (1999). Acacia islana Species Management Profile, Department of Natural Resources, Queensland.
Bostock, P.D. and Holland, A.E. (eds) (2010). Census of the Queensland Flora 2010. Queensland Herbarium, Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane.
Maslin, B.R. (1999). Acacia islana. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Accessed 21/06/2012. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/flora/main/index.html.
Pedley, L. (1979). A revision of Acacia Mill. in Queensland. Austrobaileya 1 (3): 249.
Queensland Herbarium (2011). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 24/10/2011.
Sparshott, K. (2009). Expedition National Park - Vegetation Report. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. - Profile author
- Lynise Wearne (28/06/2012)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=14915.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
