Acacia gordonii - profile

Conservation status in NSW: Endangered
National conservation status: Endangered

Description

An erect or spreading shrub, 0.5 - 1.5 m high, with smooth grey bark. Branchlets and phyllodes (leaves) are usually hairy. Phyllodes are alternate or sometimes whorled or clustered, straight or almost sickle-shaped, 0.5 - 1.5 cm long, about 1 mm wide, with a pointed tip. Flower heads are golden yellow arising singly in the angle between phyllodes and the stem on a hairy peduncle (stalk) that is 8-12 mm long. The seed pod is 2.5-5.5 cm long, 9-14 mm wide, and glaucous (dull blue-green in colour with a whitish bloom).

Location and habitat

Distribution
 Restricted to the north-west of Sydney. Has a disjunct distribution, occurring in the lower Blue Mountains in the west, and in the South Maroota/Glenorie area in the east. Occurs within the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Baulkham Hills local government areas.

• Grows in dry sclerophyll forest and heathlands amongst or within rock platforms on sandstone outcrops.
• Flowers August to September and produces fruit October to February. The fruit is a pod containing hard-coated seed. The seed ultimately forms a persistent soil stored seedbank.
• Is identified in Benson and McDougall (1996) as a resprouter, however it is likely that the species’ ability to resprout following fire varies as anecdotal observations suggest that in at least one instance few adults resprouted following a fire (Ross Doig Pers. Comm. 2002). Such variation in fire response is not unusual for Acacia.
• Fire promotes germination of the soil stored seedbank and seed germination will not occur in the absence of fire as the hard-coated seed requires heat to break seed dormancy, as is typical of species within Fabaceae.

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.

• Hawkesbury/Nepean

Threats

• Habitat loss, for example due to clearing for urban development and road maintenance.
• Habitat degradation due to recreational use of its habitat and bush rock removal.
• Inappropriate fire regimes (both frequent and infrequent fire).

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 19 priority actions to help recover the Acacia gordonii in New South Wales.

What needs to be done to recover this species?

• Ensure appropriate fire regime so as to avoid frequent fire and long absences of fire.
• Searches for the species should be conducted in suitable habitat in proposed development areas, and protection measures should be implemented if the species is present.
• Habitat degradation due to inappropriate recreational activity should be minimised and controlled when necessary.
• Survey of known populations, and potential habitat, to provide greater insight into the current status of the species, threats to its persistence and management actions required.

References

• Auld T.D. (1996). Ecology of the Fabaceae in the Sydney region: fire, ants and the soil seedbank. Cunninghamia 4(4), 531-552.
• Barker, R.M., Haegi, L. and Barker, W.R. (1999) 42. Hakea. Flora of Australia 17B: 44.
• Benson, D. and McDougall, L. (1996). Ecology of Sydney plant species Part 4: Dicotyledon family Fabaceae. Cunninghamia 4(4), 553-752.
• NSW Scientific Committee (1997) Acacia gordonii (a wattle) - Endangered species determination - final. DEC (NSW), Sydney.