Newry Golden Wattle - profile

Scientific name: Acacia chrysotricha 
 Conservation status in NSW: Endangered

Description

Newry Golden Wattle is a tree up to 6-15 m tall with densely hairy branchlets and grey to red-brown, finely or deeply fissured bark. The leaves are feathery and 'wattle'-like, dark green above, pale beneath, and hairy. The round, yellow flower heads are present from July-August. The seed pod is straight to slightly curved, 3-10 cm long and 4-6 mm wide, black-brown with long dense hairs and a thickened edge. Each seed has a distinctive stalk encircling it.

Location and habitat

Distribution
 Restricted to an area south of Bellingen on the NSW north coast.

• An understorey species on rainforest edges and in wet or dry eucalypt forest in steep narrow gullies on quartzite soils.
• Newry Golden Wattle is relatively short-lived. The seeds which remain in the soil require heat from fire to induce germination.
• Too-frequent fire may lead to a decline in the population, as gradual exhaustion of the soil-borne seed bank will result, with no replacement of adult plants over time.

Regional information
This species is found in the following catchment management authority regions. Click on a region name to see more details about the distribution, vegetation types and habitat preference of the species in that region.

• Northern Rivers

Threats

• Invasion of habitat by introduced weeds.
• Logging activities.
• Inappropriate fire regime.

Recovery strategies

Priority actions are the specific, practical things that must be done to recover a threatened species, population or ecological community. The Department of Environment and Conservation has identified 21 priority actions to help recover the Newry Golden Wattle in New South Wales.

What needs to be done to recover this species?

• Apply appropriate fire regimes. Protect rainforest habitat from fire. Avoid frequent hazard-reduction fires in wet eucalypt forest.
• Control invasive weeds.
• Protect areas of habitat from timber harvesting activities.

References

• Kodeal, P.G. and Harden, G.J. (2002). Acacia. In Flora of New South Wales, Volume 2, G.J. Harden ed. UNSW Press, Kensington, NSW.
• Maslin, B.R., et al. (2001). Flora of Australia 11A. A.E. Orchard and A.J.G. Wilson ed. P. 228. CSIRO Publishing and ABRS.
• NSW Scientific Committee (2000) Acacia chrysotricha (a tree) - Endangered species determination - final. DEC (NSW), Sydney.
• Tindale, M.D. (1966). Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbariumin. R.H. Anderson ed. 4(1): 20.