The Jumping Jack Wattle (Family Fabaceae) is a small, prickly, spreading shrub to 1.5 m high and 1.5 m wide. Mature branchlets are reddish brown and ribbed. Phyllodes are linear 2–4.5 cm long, 1–1.3 cm wide and straight or slightly curved, with 10–12 distinct raised nerves. Phyllodes have a sharp reddish-brown rigid tip. Flowers are bright yellow globular balls, situated in the axil and generally occur in pairs. Flowers occur as 20 together on peduncles approximately 5 mm long. Pods are typically a zigzag shape to 2 cm long and 2 mm wide, brown with thickened yellow margins and sparsely hairy. The common name, Jumping Jack Wattle, is derived from the pod resembling a jumping jack cracker (spring-shaped). Seeds are longitudinal, oblong to elliptic to 3 mm long.
Jumping-jack Wattle |
Acacia enterocarpa
Status: Endangered on the EPBC Act list
Government evidence of impact of climate change:
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Australian Government, Conservation Advice, Acacia enterocarpa
Threats The major threats to the Jumping Jack Wattle are droughts (driven by climate change); habitat destruction; inappropriate disturbance regimes; browsing by exotic herbivores; competition with weeds and the genetic consequences of small subpopulations (Table 2).
Climate Change Increased frequency and Timing current future Climate projections for south eastern severity of drought Confidence suspected Australia include reduced rainfall; increased average temperatures; and Consequence moderate more frequent droughts (CSIRO Trend increasing Bureau of Meteorology 2015).
Climate change Identify all habitat that are modelled as likely to remain or become suitable habitat under climate change scenarios and protect this habitat from threats.
Extent across the entire range Acacia species can be killed by severe drought (Fensham et al. 2019); although there is no information of impacts to the Jumping Jack Wattle.
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