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Acacia mearnsii

AuthorityDe Wild.
FamilyMagnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae
Synonyms
Common namesblack wattle, swartwattel
Editor
Ecocrop code2660



Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A large evergreen shrub or small tree, usually reaching 6-10 m but at times attaining 15-25 m in height with a trunk to 50 cm in diameter and a spreading rounded crown. Open-grown specimens are freely-branched from near the ground level and often have a crooked trunk, when growing in forest formations it usually have a straight stem. USES The wood is hard but moderately easy to work and takes a good polish. It is used for house poles, mine timber, tool handles, cabinetwork, joinery, flooring, construction timber, matchwood, hardboard, and paper pulp. It is an excellent fuelwood and charcoal. The bark is rich in tanning. It can be used to controlsoil erosion on steep slopes, to improve soil fertility, for shelter and firebelts, and for ornamental purposes. KILLING T Moterately frost tolerant. GROWING PERIOD Perennial tree, that can provide bark after 5-10 years. Withstands a drought period of 2-3 months and frosts of 20-40 days. COMMON NAMES Black wattle, Acacia negra, Acacia noir, Schwarze akazie, Gomboom, Tan wattle. FURTHER INF Scientific synonyms: A. mollissima, A. decurrens. In southeastern Australia, the tree can be found at latitudes within 33-44°S. Near Equator, it can be found at altitudes between 1000-2800 m, and in the subtropics, the tree can found between sea level and 2500 m. It is drought hardy, fixes nitrogen, tolerates salt winds and regenerates rapidly. The species is indigenous to southeasten Australia and Tasmania. Black wattle occurs on gentle to moderately hilly topography and in the southern hemisphere it prefers easterly and southerly aspects. Mentioned as a possible agroforestry species. Optimum annual wood production is 10-35 m3/ha, and optimum bark yield is 1.5-4 t/ha. In Hawaii, it has become a noxious weed at elevations between 600-1200 m, specially in the 1000-1200 mm rainfall zones. In South Africa, it has been called "green cancer" because it is spreading out of control and the tree has also become a weed in Hawaii, Chile and Kenya.
Sources
SOURCES (A. mearnsii De Wild.)
Duke J 1981 pp 7-9 317 [FER, DRA, DEP, RAIN, TEMP, PH]
Duke J 1975 pp 5 [PH, RAIN, TEMP]
Webb D 1984 pp 91 [RAIN, TEMP, TEXT, PH, DRA, DEP, LIG, KTMP, USE]
Roecklein J 1987 pp 48 [USE]
National RC 1980 pp 72-73 [USE, TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, TEXT, FER, LIMITS]
INSPIRE species 8 [RAIN, TEMP, TEXT, PH, DRA, DEP, LIG, KTMP]
Boland D 1984 pp 162-163 [TEMP, RAIN, TEXT]
Little E 1983 pp 15-17 [LIMITS, KTMP, RAIN, TEXT, FER, USE]
Hensleight T 1988 pp 369 [KTMP, RAIN, TEXT, USE]
Turnbull J 1986 pp 164-167 [TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, TEXT, PH, FER, USE]
Lemmens R 1991 pp 41-45 [USE, TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, TEXT, DRA, DEP, PH, FER]