Flowering tree close up © db1973

Flinders Range Wattle

Acacia iteaphylla

Quick facts

Status
permitted s11
Life Cycle
Perennial
Growth Form
Tree
Origin
South Australia
Flowers
Yellow
Dispersal
Wind, animals

Names

Other Common Names: Port Lincoln wattle, willow-leaved wattle, winter wattle 

Synonyms: Racosperma iteaphyllum

Form and function

An eastern Australian native shrub endemic to the Flinders Ranger in South Australia.  A shrub or small tree 2-5 m with long slightly drooping leaves arranged alternate along branches.  Commonly planted for revegetation as drought tolerant, its a prolific seeder and is now common through out the Perth Hills and Swan Region.  Has distinctive green trunk and lower branches.
 

Non flowering tree - iNaturalist @smathichong

Flowers

  • Yellow or pale yellow
  • Individual flowers are small and grouped into globular clusters
  • Each cluster is about 5 to 8 mm across  
  • Clusters are arranged along short branching stems
  • Flowering stems arise from the leaf forks
  • Clusters are held on short stalks 6 to 10 mm long
  • Young flowering stems are enclosed by overlapping brown tipped bracts
  • Have numerous stamens that give them a fluffy appearance 

Flower close up - iNaturalist @gemfyre713

Leaves

  • Alternately arranged
  • Leaves long (or phyllodes) and narrow (5 to 14 cm long and 2.5 to 8 mm wide)
  • Silvery bluish/green
  • Straight and held at near right angles to the stem
  • Small point at the tip
  • Hairless and relatively thin
  • Prominent midvein runs along the length
  • Small gland is usually present near the base 

Leaf close up - iNaturalist @Arthur Chapman

Pods

  • Elongated, flattened pod
  • 5 to 13 cm long and 6 to 12 mm wide
  • Straight or slightly curved
  • Slightly constricted between each seed
  • Hairless and leathery
  • Bluish/green when young and turn brown as they mature 

Pods DBCA

Seed

  • Oblong to oval shaped
  • 5 to 6.5 mm long
  • Dark brown to black
  • Narrow fleshy structure attached at one end
  • Persist more than 5 years

Roots

  • Both surface structural roots and a deep taproot

Habitat

Typically grows in rocky hillsides or creeks in valleys. Prefers semi-arid climate like that of its’ native range in South Australia.

May be confused with...

Similar native species: Golden Wreath Wattle (Acacia saligna) 

​​Similar non-native species: Sweet-scented wattle (Acacia suaveolens). However, can be distinguished by its slender sparingly-branched shrub with flattened or strongly angled younger branches different from Flinders Ranges wattle.​ 

How does it spread?

Flinders Range wattle produces enormous numbers of hard seeds, which have long seedbank persistence like other Acacia species. Seeds can be spread by wind, animals (e.g. birds, ants), and garden refuse. ​ 

Why is it a weed?

Known to form large thickets in the Perth Hills, like other nitrogen fixing plants, they can enrich the soil and can promote the growth of invasive grasses.  Also increases the risk and intensity of bushfire.

History

Flinders Range wattle is still popular ornamental species and has been widely cultivated and sold in Western Australia. 

How to control

Arum Lily

Physical

Arum Lily

Chemical

Arum Lily

Managerial

Flinders range wattle is relatively easy to control, similar to other weedy Acacia.

Physical

​Seedlings can be easily removed by hand, ensuring the roots are removed with the seeding.  Larger shrubs can be cut to the ground with a chainsaw and roots dug out with mattocks

Seedling
Young tree - @tayla99 

Chemical

​​​​Small plants: Seedlings are most effectively controlled by herbicide prior to flowering and seeding stage between March and August. After hand-pull, paint with 10% solution glyphosate.

​Mature Plants: Optimum treatment time is all year around. After cutting the trees, painting the stump with a solution of 50% glyphosate to prevent regrowth of the plant.  Alternatively, trees can be killed without cutting down by injecting them with a 50% glyphosate solution, or by painting the bark around the base of the tree with a 250 ml mix of 240 g/L Triclopyr and 120 g/L Picloram (e.g. Access®) in 15 L of diesel.  

Managerial

Revegetation of area that have been cleared of weed by planting native perennial species, such as native wattle in WA called golden wreath wattle (Acacia saligna), can potentially prevent the regrowth of Flinders Ranges wattles.​ 

Further
reading

external link PER96570 - Glyphosate
external link PER96642 – Picloram, Triclopyr, Fluroxypyr

Weed Distribution Map

LSID number: [2919200] | full LSID: [https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2919200] | field_lsid: [] | taxon: [Acacia iteaphylla]

ALA Reference

References

  • Moore, J., & Wheeler, J. (2008) Southern weeds and their control. Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.
  • Western Australian Herbarium (1998–) Florabase—the Western Australian flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
  • 5 Rivers NRM. (2023, November 8) Is your Acacia friend or foe?
  • Dewing, J. & Kemp, C. (2002) Weeds of the South West Region. Department of Conservation and Lend Management.
  • Lower Blackwood Catchment Land Conservation District Committee. (n.d.) 4 Common Riparian Weeds in the South West and their Management.
  • Shire of Mandaring. (n.d.) Weedy wattles from the Eastern States can replace our native plants and increase bushfire risk.
  • Weeds of Australia. (n.d.) Acacia iteaphylla

Life Cycle

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Notes
Germination
Flowering
Fruiting
pods may persist on tree after fruiting
Regularly or most commonly
Occasionally, given suitable conditions

Management

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Notes
Hand removal
Wattles are best controlled while young
Foliar spray
Before flowering
Cut stump
Optimal
Potentially, but conditionally dependent
Last updated: October 2026