Acacia podalyriifolia
| Acacia podalyriifolia | |
| 212px | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Mid Winter-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
Acacia podalyriifolia (common name: queensland silver wattle)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse[1]. Stored seed should be scarified, pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water and then sown in a warm greenhouse in March. The seed germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 25°c[2]. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in individual pots in a frame[3]. Overwinter in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Fair percentage[3].
Cultivation: Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position[1]. Succeeds in any good garden soil that is not excessively limey[4][5]. Many members of this genus become chlorotic on limey soils[6]. Can succeed in a hot dry position in a mixed border[7].
Plants are not very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -3°c[8]. They succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain, though even there they can be cut back to the ground in severe winters[1][4].
A very ornamental tree[1], it can be pruned back hard after flowering in order to induce good flowering the following year[8].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[6].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.
Edibility: Flowers - cooked[9]. Rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters[10]. The flowers have a delicate sweet perfume[11].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[12].
A green dye is obtained from the seed pods[12].
When planted on steep slopes or other fragile soil systems, the extensive root system of this plant binds the soil together and helps to prevent erosion[6].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Holliday, Ivan and Ron Hill. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller, 1974.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.