Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_acacia_melanoxylon

Australian blackwood

Acacia melanoxylon

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About Australian blackwood

Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native to eastern and southeastern Australia, including Tasmania, in wet forest, cool riparian forest, and forest margins. On Kauaʻi it is documented as naturalized and historically planted, with later DLNR evidence of continued island presence; public location is intentionally limited to island level.

Kauaʻi evidence

Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 10,175 plants under Acacia melanoxylon across 14 entries dated 1919–1938. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).

Names and classification

Scientific name: Acacia melanoxylon
Common names: Australian blackwood · blackwood · Tasmanian blackwood · blackwood acacia
Other names: Acacia melanoxylon · Australian blackwood · blackwood · Tasmanian blackwood · blackwood acacia · Racosperma melanoxylon (R.Br.) Pedley · Mimosa melanoxylon (R.Br.) Poir.
Record type: Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence: Recorded on Kauaʻi
Origin: Introduced
Conservation status: Not yet assessed
Evidence date: 2026-10-05
Evidence limits: Current extent is unassessed; public locality is island level only.

Habitat and ecology

Habitats: Not yet assessed
Food and resource needs: Not yet assessed
Reproduction: Not yet assessed
Shelter: Not yet assessed
Growth form: Evergreen tree

Threats and conservation

Monitoring: Not yet assessed
Data gaps: Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing: Not yet assessed
Seasonal description: Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native to eastern and southeastern Australia, including Tasmania, in wet forest, cool riparian forest, and forest margins. On Kauaʻi it is documented as naturalized and historically planted, with later DLNR evidence of continued island presence; public location is intentionally limited to island level.

Sources and further reading

Explore field guides

Invasive Plants and Plant Biosecurity on Kauaʻi

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