Seeds of South Australia
Acacia murrayana (Leguminosae)
Murray's Wattle
List of species for Acacia
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Seed collecting:
December to February
Herbarium regions:
North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Eastern
NRM regions:
Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, South Australian Arid Lands
IBRA regions
LEGEND
SUMMARY
Olary Spur (FLB03)Flinders Lofty Block
 Least Concern   (Probable Decline)   [disjunct, edge of range, needs to be revisited, threatened by grazing]
Northern Flinders (FLB05) 
 Data Deficient   [imprecise location]
Kingoonya (GAW05)Gawler
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Maralinga (GVD03)Great Victoria Desert
 Least Concern
Kintore (GVD04) 
 Least Concern
Tallaringa (GVD05) 
 Least Concern
Yellabinna (GVD06) 
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Simpson Desert (SSD02)Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields
 Least Concern
Dieri (SSD03) 
 Least Concern
Strzelecki Desert (SSD05) 
 Least Concern
Breakaways (STP01)Stony Plains
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Oodnadatta (STP02) 
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Murnpeowie (STP03) 
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Macumba (STP05) 
 Least Concern
Witjira (STP06) 
 Least Concern
Sturt Stony Desert (CHC02)Channel Country
 Least Concern
Diamantina-Eyre (CHC04) 
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Coongie (CHC06) 
 Least Concern
Lake Pure (CHC07) 
 Least Concern
Mann-Musgrave Block (CER01)Central Ranges
 Least Concern
Watarru (CER02) 
 Near Threatened
Everard Block (CER03) 
 Least Concern
Tieyon (FIN03)Finke
 Least Concern
Pedirka (FIN04) 
 Near Threatened
IBRA regions
LEGEND
DISPLAY ALL
2 of 6 subregionsFlinders Lofty BlockLeast Concern
, Data Deficient
Kingoonya (GAW05)GawlerRare
  (IUCN: RA d(ii))
4 of 4 subregionsGreat Victoria DesertLeast Concern
, Rare
3 of 4 subregionsSimpson Strzelecki DunefieldsLeast Concern
5 of 7 subregionsStony PlainsLeast Concern
, Rare
4 of 4 subregionsChannel CountryLeast Concern
, Rare
3 of 3 subregionsCentral RangesLeast Concern
, Near Threatened
2 of 2 subregionsFinkeLeast Concern
, Near Threatened
RSCA map:
Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion. Please click the thumbnail map.
AVH map:
Australian distribution map (external link)
SA Census:
Census of South Australian plants (external link)     [genus Acacia]
Name derivation:
 Acacia from the Greek 'akakia' and derived from 'ake' or 'akis' meaning a sharp point or thorn and 'akazo' meaning to sharpen. Dioscorides, the Greek physician and botanist used the word in the 1st century AD for the Egyptian thorn tree, Acacia arabica. Murrayana named in honour of Dr. James Patrick Murray, a surgeon and plant collector to the Howitt's Expedition in search of Burke and Wills.
Distribution:
 Found scattered throughout the northern part of South Australia, with one disjunct collection near Yunta. Grows in hummock grassland to low woodland and tall shrubland, usually in red or yellow deep sands on or between sand ridges or along sandy creek banks and floodout areas. Also found in Western Australia, Northern territory, Queensland and New South Wales.
Status:
 Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Plant description:
 Erect, bushy shrubs or small trees to 5 m high, crown spreading, usually dividing into a few main stems near ground level, with branchlets slightly angular becoming terete; greenish-yellow to reddish-brown, often pruinose. Leaves variable, linear-oblong to linear-lanceolate, to 18 cm long and 7 mm wide; straight, curved or falcate, flat, pale-green to glaucous with mid-vein prominent; margins yellowish vein-like, lateral veins rather obscure; apex obtuse but with a small recurved point; a small gland below the point, a second rather obscure gland at the base of phyllode just above the short wrinkled pulvinus. Flower-spike in axillary glabrous racemes shorter than phyllodes usually consisting of 3-7 globular, bright yellow flower-heads. Flowering between August and October.
Fruit type:
 Brown, narrowly oblong pod to 7 cm long and 10 mm wide, flat but raised over the seeds showing their outline; margins straight or slightly constricted.
Seed type:
 Hard black ovoid seed to 5 mm along and 4 mm wide with a short rounded red aril.
Embryo type:
 Investing.
Seed collecting:
 Collect mature pods that are turning brown, with hard, dark seeds inside.
Seed cleaning:
 Place the pods in a tray and leave to dry for 1-2 weeks or until the pods begin to split. Then rub the dried pods to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate any unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place.
Seed germination:
 This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).
Seeds stored:
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB		8173
8173		501-Dec-2003PJA 50
North Western		1-Sep-200460%+5°C, -18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.
Germination table:
DateResultT0T50Pre-treatment | Germination medium | Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod
March 200485%8d12d Seed sterilised with 20% Hydrogen Peroxide with 3 drops of Tween (10min). Rinsed in sterile water. Seed coat nicked with scalpel blade.
0.8% w/v agar plates
16/8 dark/light  /  20°C Constant
November 200685%5d12d Stored at -18°C (1year). Seed coat nicked with scalpel blade.
Wet filter paper placed over wettex sponge. Irrigated with RO water.
Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)