North Brother Wattle - profile

Scientific name: Acacia courtii 
 Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable
National conservation status: Vulnerable

Description

The North Brother Wattle is a tall shrub or weeping tree 7 - 20 m high. The bark is smooth and grey when young and later becomes black and furrowed. Small branches are a maroon brown colour. The leaves are dull green and narrow, up to 18 cm long, and have a small gland on the leaf edge just above the stem. From late spring to mid-summer spikes of pale yellow globular flowers are produced followed by straight or curved, narrow woody pods up to 18 cm long.

Location and habitat

Distribution
 The North Brother Wattle is found only in the Laurieton district on the north coast of NSW, occurring on North Brother and Middle Brother Mountains.

• North Brother Wattle grows on steep, dry, rocky slopes and in mixed dry forest on shallow soils, often under a canopy of White Mahogany and Grey Gum.

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

• Risk of local extinction due to low numbers.
• Inappropriate disturbance patterns, particularly fire, which do not encourageregeneration of the species.
• Road construction.

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 North Brother Wattle in New South Wales.

What needs to be done to recover this species?

• Manage disturbance to encourage regeneration.
• Protect habitat from road construction.
• Notify the DEC of any new occurrences.

References

• NPWS (2000). Threatened Species of the Lower North Coast of New South Wales. NPWS, Sydney.