| Coast myall | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Acacia |
| Species: | A. binervia |
| Binomial name | |
| Acacia binervia | |
 | |
| Occurrence data fromAVH | |
Acacia binervia commonly known as thecoast myall,coastal myall,coastal wattle, orkai'arrawan in theDharawal language.[2] is a species of flowering plant in the familyFabaceae and isendemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect or spreading tree or shrub, with narrowly elliptic to sickle-shapedphyllodes, pale to bright yellow flowers arranged in cylindrical heads in up to fiveracemes, and straightpods up to 85 mm (3.3 in) long.
Acacia binervia is an erect tree or spreading shrub that typically grows up to 16 m (52 ft) high and has flaky and furrowed, dark brown to grey bark. Its phyllodes are narrowly elliptic to sickle-shaped, 60–150 mm (2.4–5.9 in) long, 5–23 mm (0.20–0.91 in) wide, with branchlets flattened or angled at the end, prominently veined and usually covered thickly with whitish grey hairs flattened against the surface. The flowers are pale to bright yellow and borne in rod-shaped heads 20–60 mm (0.79–2.36 in) long in up to five axils in a raceme 1–10 mm (0.039–0.394 in) long. Each head is on apeduncle up to 5 mm (0.20 in) long. Flowering occurs in spring and the fruit is a linear pod, 20–85 mm (0.79–3.35 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide.[3][4][5]
In 1798, German botanistJohann Christoph Wendland first described this species asMimosa binervia in hisBotanische Beobachtungen: nebst einigen neuen Gattungen und Arten.[6][7] In 1919James Francis Macbride transferred the species toAcacia asA. binervia and the change was published inContributions of the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University.[8][9] Thespecific epithet (binervia) refers to the phyllodes having two veins, although there are usually three to five more or less prominent veins.[3]
Coast myall is found in central New South Wales from theHunter Region south, and toBungonia in the southwest, and continuing south into Victoria. In the Sydney basin, it grows on a variety of soils and associated plant communities—alluvial soils, sandstone-, shale- or trachyte-based soils, generally with good drainage. It grows in dry sclerophyll forest, associated with such species as yellow bloodwood (Corymbia eximia), grey gum (Eucalyptus punctata), narrow-leaved ironbark (E. crebra), mugga ironbark (E. sideroxylon), or more open woodland with narrow-leaved ironbark and black cypress pine (Callitris endlicheri), and riparian (riverbank) forest with river peppermint (E. elata) and gossamer wattle (Acacia floribunda).[2][10] There is a single record from the upperSnowy River inVictoria.[4]
Acacia binervia regenerates from bushfire by a soil-borne seedbank, the seeds germinate and grow after fire while adult plants are killed. The plant is reportedly toxic tolivestock as the foliage phyllodes containprussic acid. The frequency of fire for the cycle to persist is anywhere from 10 to 50 years. Coast myall is useful to bees in the honey industry.[10]
Coast myall is listed as "critically endangered" in Victoria in theFlora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.[4]
For the Dharawal people, the flowering ofAcacia binervia was used as aseasonal indicator of the presence of fish in bays and estuaries.[11]