Publications
Anne Harris and Andrew Brown
Interim recovery plan No: 157
Department of Conservation and Land Management, November 2003
ISNN 0816-9713
Acacia ataxiphylla subsp. magna was collected by Alice Eaton in 1889 and formally described by Bruce Maslin in Nuytsia Vol. 12, No 3 (1999). The species was declared as Rare Flora in July 1998. It is currently ranked as Endangered.
Surveys between 1997 and 2003 located 13 populations and 3 subpopulations, eight of which are on private property. Two subpopulations on a Conservation Reserve have not been found for six years and are presumed extinct. The largest population contains 56 plants, however, nine of the remaining 13 populations contain less than 10 plants in mostly disturbed, degraded habitats. A total of 204 mature plants are currently known.
CALM has provided relevant land managers with information on the locations of populations and in the case of road reserve populations DRF markers have been installed where required. Roadworks, grazing, and inappropriate fire regimes impact on populations of Acacia ataxiphylla subsp. magna and its habitat.
A draft Interim Recovery Plan (IRP) was written for the species in 1998 (Evans and Brown 1998). Information collected since then has been incorporated into this Plan.
The specific epithet magna refers to the characteristically large flower heads (Maslin 1999).
Acacia ataxiphylla subsp. magna is a sprawling, leafless shrub to 30 cm high and 50 cm across with weak, ascending to erect stems. Branches are flattened or angled at their extremities. Phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks that resemble the stems) are mostly 4 to 6 cm long by 1.6 to 2 mm wide and are somewhat coarse. The yellow flowers borne from June to September are in heads, 7 to 9 mm in diameter and are held on stalks 4 to 7 mm long.
This document is available as a PDF file and a zipped RTF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view the PDF file. You will need Winzip installed on your computer to open the ZIP file.
If you cannot access these documents, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.