Acaciella glauca
Acaciella glauca
Safety & Hazards
When the plant is fed to grazing animals it can cause their hair to fall out[1]. Especially in times of drought, many Acacia species can concentrate high levels of the toxin Hydrogen cyanide in their foliage, making them dangerous for herbivores to eat.
Cultivation Details
A plant of low to moderate elevations in the tropics. It prefers dry climates and can even grow in areas with rainfall as low as 200 - 500mm per year[2]. Optimum annual rainfall is around 1,200mm in Indonesia, where it can succeed at elevations up to 1,200 metres[3]. It performs poorly under low temperature and does not tolerate frost[2]. Requires a sunny position[2]. Thrives especially on limestone, though is also found on neutral to slightly acid soil types[2, 4]. Succeeds in very poor soils[3]. Often grown as an ornamental, the plant has escaped from cultivation and become established in the wild in many areas, In the Cook Islands, for example, it is classified as 'Invasive'[5], whilst in Guam it can form thickets in abandoned clearings[1]. Plants are fast-growing[4]. Flowering and fruiting may start as early as 6 months and flowering can then occur throughout the year[2]. The plant tolerates heavy pruning and repeated coppicing[2, 4]. The plant extends itself by root suckers from the comparatively superficial root system. It can reach a height of about 3 metres and diameter of 3 cm in 13 months[2]. Growth is robust in the juvenile phase, it is often even stronger than in Leucaena leucocephala, but loses this advantage after 6 months[2]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[6].
Propagation
The seed of most, if not all, members of this genus has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Root suckers. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Acaciella+glauca>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]The Useful Plants of the Island of Guam — Safford W.E. · Smithsonian Institute; Washington. · 1905 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A very comprehensive, if rather dated, guide to the plants of Guam. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [2]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
- [3]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [4]Invasive Species Compendium — http://www.cabi.org ↩︎An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
- [5]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
- [6]Handbook of Energy Crops — Duke. J. · - · 1983 · https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html · ISBN - ↩︎Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
- [7]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
- [8]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [9]The Useful Native Plants of Australia. — Maiden J.H. · Turner & Co.; London. · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎