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Prickly acacia
- Prickly acacia flowers
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- Prickly acacia
General information
A native of Pakistan, prickly acacia (Acacia nilotica) was introduced into Queensland for shade and fodder last century. This plant has been cultivated in many parts of tropical Queensland for its shade and fodder value of leaves and pods. It is now naturalised in many areas. The umbrella shape of the prickly acacia tree and the pods are characteristic features.
Prickly acacia is a declared Class 2 plant under Queensland legislation and a Weed of National Significance (WONS).
| Scientific name |
Acacia nilotica |
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Impacts |
- forms dense thorny thickets interfering with mustering, movement of stock and access to water
- decreases pastures and out-competes for water
- degrades soil by facilitating erosion
- threatens biodiversity through transformation of natural grasslands into thorny scrub and woodland
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| Description |
- a thorny shrub or small tree which grows up to 5 m, occasionally up to 10 m
- has pairs of stout thorns generally around 1-5 cm long
- golden-yellow ball-shaped flowers grow on stems from leaf joints with 2-6 flowers per group
- has fern-like leaves, 4-10 pairs of leaf branches, 10-20 pairs of narrow green leaflets on each branch
- pods are flat, 10-15 cm with narrow constrictions between seeds and are greyish when ripe
- bark on saplings has a tinge of orange and/or green, and older trees have dark, rough bark
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| Habitat and distribution |
- several million hectares of the Mitchell grass plains is infested
- infestations occur from Barcaldine to Hughenden, west to Longreach, Winton and Julia Creek
- also found along the coast, in particular Bowen, and along the New South Wales and Northern Territory borders
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| Control |
- leaf-feeding, sap-sucking, root, pod and seed-feeding insects known to attack actively growing prickly acacia
- a combined approach of different control methods including chemical, biological, mechanical, herbicide and integrated with land management practices is most effective
- see the prickly acacia fact sheet for further information
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| Declaration details |
- a declared Class 2 species under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002
- control of declared pests is required by landholders
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| Further information |
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