Acacia mangium Willd., Sp. Pl . 4th edn, 4: 1053 (1806)
Mangium, Hickory Wattle, Black Wattle
Tree 7–30 m high, with branches spreading from near ground level or with bole to 4.5 m high. Bark corrugated or coarsely cracked, grey to dark brown. Branchlets stout, acutely angled, brown, fawn or green, glabrous, sometimes scurfy. Phyllodes obliquely narrowly elliptic to elliptic, normally 11–27 cm long, 30–95 mm wide, thinly coriaceous or papery, glabrous, with 3 or 4 (–5) main prominent nerves (confluent at base of phyllodes near lower margin), the minor nerves strongly anastomosing to form a fine reticulum, with elongated interstices; gland 1, basal, to 4.5 mm above pulvinus. Spikes 5–12 cm long, loosely arranged, white to cream-coloured. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.6–0.8 mm long, dissected to 1/5–1/4, pubescent; corolla 1.8–2 mm long, dissected to 1/2, with glabrous petals; ovary densely hairy. Pods linear, openly coiled and twisted or sometimes tightly spirally coiled, 3–5.5 mm wide, coriaceous to subwoody, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic to slightly reniform, 3.5–5 mm long, black, minutely pitted; areole almost closed; aril bright orange.
Occurs in tropical Qld, in coastal areas N of 19S. Grows on the edge of rainforests and on margins of mangrove communities. Also recorded from southern Moluccas, Aroe Is. and southern New Guinea, fide L.Pedley, Contrib. Queensland Herb. 18: 14 (1975). Flowers Mar., May and July.
This species has been confused with A. holosericea from which it can be distinguished by the nerves of the phyllodes and its more aborescent habit. Presumed hybrids involving this species and A. polystachya as parents have been collected in Qld (e.g. Crystal Ck, c. 15 km N of Rollingstone, J.Moriarty 1108 , PERTH).
Acacia mangium is widely-planted as an exotic. In SE Asia it is a major plantation species where it is grown for pulp and paper production and for saw logs. Commercial use is also made of A. auriculiformis x mangium hybrids by this industry. Further details of ecology, utilisation, etc. of A. mangium are given in J.C.Doran & J.W.Turnbull (eds), Austral. Trees & Shrubs: species for land rehabilitation & farm planting in the tropics 178–181 (1997).
Type of accepted name
Based on description and figure in Rumphius, Herb. Amboin. 3: 123, t. 81 (1750).
Synonymy
Racosperma mangium (Willd.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 352 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
[ Acacia holosericea var. neurocarpa auct. non (A.Cunn. ex Hook.) Domin: K.Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 89: 270 (1926); C.T.White, Contr. Arnold Arbor. 4: 42 (1933), pro syn. ]
[ Acacia holosericea var. multispirea auct. non Domin: C.T.White loc. cit. , pro syn. ]
[ Acacia holosericea var. glabrata auct. non Maiden: C.T.White, loc. cit. , pro syn. ]
Illustrations
J.W.Turnbull (ed.), op. cit. 161; C.R.Dunlop, G.J.Leach & I.D.Cowie, Fl. Darwin Region 2: 14, fig. 6 (1995); B.R.Maslin & M.W.McDonald, A key to useful Australian acacias for the seasonally dry tropics , CSIRO, 46 & 47 (1996).
Representative collections
Qld: Cardwell, R.G.Coveny 6599 & P.Hind (A, AD, BRI, CANB, NSW, PERTH, UC, US); at Daintree R. Ferry, I.V.Newman 527 (NSW); 3 km along road to Mt Molloy from Cook Hwy, I.R.Telford 9453 & G.Butler (CANB, NSW); c. 16 km N of Ingham, Bruce Hwy, P.G.Wilson & C.F.Puttock (BRI, MEL, NSW, QRS, UNSW13332).
(NSW)
The information presented here originally appeared on the WATTLE CD-ROM which was jointly published by the Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, and the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth; it was produced by CSIRO Publishing from where it is available for purchase. The WATTLE custodians are thanked for allowing us to post this information here.
