Mulgas occur throughout the Fowlers Gap Station, prefering stony outcrops at the tops of rises and hills. Many of the mulgas on the Station are dead, which is a worrying trend put down to the influences of the prolonged drought but perhaps also to the lack of genetic diversity present, implying that they may be diseased.

Mulgas are small upright trees of variable height (1-14 m), but more commonly 2-5 m height. They typically have an "upright bottle brush" appearance with the single lower trunk devoid of branches, but hybrids may have branches from ground level upwards, or may be multi-trunked.

Bark: rough.
Leaves: (phyllodes, actually - Mulgas are Acacias) are terete to linear, 20-110 mm long and 0.7-10 mm wide with fine veins and hairs. Phyllodes are grey-green and area hairy on the younger growing parts.
Flowers: 1 per axil, short, oblong or cylindrical, 8-25 mm long and are bright yellow.
Fruit: seedpods are papery to woody, variable, flat and to 20 x 60 mm. Pods are brown and resinous, reticulately veined often with thin, winged margins.
Source: Frank Kutsche and Brendan Lay (2003). Field guide to the plants of outback South Australia. Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, South Australia, ISBN 0 7590 1052 8.
Phillip Moore (2005). A guide to plants of inland Australia. Reed New Holland, ISBN 1 876334 86 X.
Photos: Ian Roach

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