Alice Springs Flora •
Alice Springs FloraAlice Springs Flora Index Acacia ligulata Annual Yellowtop Apple Bush Bougainvillea Burdekin Plum Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqa) Cattle Bush Desert Cotton (Aerva javanica) Desert Oak Eremophila Wildberry Feijoa sellowiana Flannel Cudweed Fork-leaf Corkwood Ghost Gum Golden Everlasting Kurrajong Lemon-flowered Gum MacDonnell’s Desert Fuchsia Native Bluebell Native Tomato Needlewood Olive Tree Perennial Yellow Top Rat’s Tail River Red Gum Inland River Red Gum Rosy Dock Round-leaved Mallee Scurvy Grass Silky Eremophila Stemodia viscosa Striped Mintbush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Weeping Bottlebrush White Cedar Yellow Billybutton Yellow-keeled Swainsona Yellow Oleander
Acacia ligulata occurs in all mainland states, and particularly widespread in central and southern arid Australia, especially near the base of red sand dunes, and is common along the Old South Road (south of Alice Springs). They are also another shrub/tree planted along streets in Alice Springs.
It is known under a number of common names including Dune Wattle, Marpoo, Sandhill Wattle, Small Cooba, Umbrella Bush, Wirra and Watarrka (also spelt Watarka).
The Acacia ligulata is popular with the European Honey Bee. For more info, check out our section on Bees > Apis mellifera > Apis mellifera on Acacia ligulata.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Charophyta
- Class: Equisetopsida
- Subclass: Magnoliidae
- Superorder: Rosanae
- Order: Fabales
- Family: Fabaceae
- Genus: Acacia
- Species: Acacia ligulata
Footnote & References
- Many thanks to Rebecca Duncum for ID, member of Alice Springs Field Naturalists Club, Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1379683398719247
- Acacia ligulata A.Cunn. ex Benth., Dune Wattle, Girranbiiyan in Yuwaalayaay, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2908793
- Acacia ligulata Benth., Umbrella Bush, Western Australian Herbarium (1998–). Florabase—the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile.php/3419
- Acacia ligulata A.Cunn. ex Benth., Wattle, Acacias of Australia, https://apps.lucidcentral.org/wattle/text/entities/acacia_ligulata.htm
Alice Springs FloraAlice Springs Flora Index Acacia ligulata Annual Yellowtop Apple Bush Bougainvillea Burdekin Plum Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqa) Cattle Bush Desert Cotton (Aerva javanica) Desert Oak Eremophila Wildberry Feijoa sellowiana Flannel Cudweed Fork-leaf Corkwood Ghost Gum Golden Everlasting Kurrajong Lemon-flowered Gum MacDonnell’s Desert Fuchsia Native Bluebell Native Tomato Needlewood Olive Tree Perennial Yellow Top Rat’s Tail River Red Gum Inland River Red Gum Rosy Dock Round-leaved Mallee Scurvy Grass Silky Eremophila Stemodia viscosa Striped Mintbush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Weeping Bottlebrush White Cedar Yellow Billybutton Yellow-keeled Swainsona Yellow Oleander
Alice Springs FaunaAlice Springs Native Bees Alice Springs Beetles Alice Springs Birds Alice Springs Gastropods (Gastropoda) Alice Springs Insects Alice Springs Marsupials Alice Springs Reptiles Alice Springs Spiders