| |
|
 | |
| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
|
| |
|
|
 |  |  |  |
| External Links: |
|
Acacia koa (Hawaiian Wattle) |
Acacia koa (MIMOSACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
|
| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Acacia koaA.Gray
Published in U.S. Expl. Exped., Phan. 1: 480 (1854) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
|
Plant Family : |
Mimosaceae R. Br. (The Acacias Family)
9 species from the Mimosaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Hawaiian Wattle, Koa |
Maltese name(s) : |
Akaċja tal-Hawajj |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
March – May |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow |
Toxicity: |
Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Acacia: from ake or akis meaning a sharp point, with reference to the thorns of several species of this genus. (Greek origin)
koa: ()
|
Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines) |
Remarks : |
Endemic to Hawaii, introduced to and naturalised in US and Australia. |
|
|
Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Tree, often with bipinnate reversion foliage; young parts with tawny pubescence. Leaves simple, elongate-falcate, to 2 dm, multinerved; gland at apex of short (1-4 mm) pseudopetiole. Flowers in heads 7-12 mm diam, axillary-fascicled to shortly racemose. Legume oblong, compressed, to 15 cm long and 2 cm broad. Seeds transverse. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
| |
Preferred habitat in Malta |
Embellishment and ornamental tree along roads or private gardens.
| |
Distributional range |
Not formerly reported from Europe
| |
Native region outside Europe |
Hawaii, US
|
Distributional maps from various sources |
|
|
| Links & Further literature
(1 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
 |
New records, Locations and Taxonomic Updates for some Alien Species in the Maltese Islands (Poster Presentation) |
Stephen Mifsud (2019) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
|
|
Sales and Donations
|
 |
Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
|
Online Quotation (Seeds)
|
 |
Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
|
Online Purchase (Images)
|
 |
Support this ad-free website Kindly consider to support this website by giving a small donation which will help to cover some expenses needed to pay the webserver and domains, maintain the website without any adverts, upgrading the code, including more wild plants and photos, and adding further data amongst other developments. You can use the links on the right for direct donations to this website by PayPal or Revolut. Even a 5 or 10 Eur donation is appreciated. Remember this website was ad*free since its launch back in 2002 and has served as an environmental educational tool for over 20 years.
|
💙 Donate by PayPal
💳 Donate by Revolut
|
|
| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
If the information you provide is sourced from a book, journal, website, or any other publication, rather then your own information or experience, then please include the relevant reference or web address whenever possible. Your email address will be used solely for internal communication and will not be shared. We greatly appreciate reports of: taxonomic updates; species misidentifications; incorrect or outdated information, broken links, technical website issues, or any additional information specific to the plant in this webpage.
Your contributions help to improve the accuracy and quality of this website. Thank you! Fill any of the three sections (A/B/C) below: .
|
|
|
|
| | |
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
