Acacia pycnantha
| Acacia pycnantha | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 26' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
Acacia pycnantha (common name: golden 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 rather poor sandy loam and a very sunny position[1][4]. Succeeds in any good garden soil that is not excessively limey and in dry soils[4]. Most members of this genus become chlorotic on limey soils[5]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.8 to 6.5.
This species is not very hardy outdoors in Britain. Plants require hot, sunny summers if they are to ripen their wood fully and flower freely. In Britain they tend to do best when grown in coastal gardens in a sunny, sheltered position that is protected from the wind[4].
A fast growing but short-lived tree in cultivation[6]. It is sometimes cultivated for the tannin obtained from its bark[1][7].
This tree is the floral emblem of Australia[6].
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[5].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Southern Australia, Victoria.
Habitat: Thickets, or as an under-storey in Eucalyptus forests, especially on very poor soils[6].
Edibility: Flowers - cooked[8]. Rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters.
The plant yields an oily gum which is said to be edible[9][10]. Some species produce a gum that is dark and is liable to be astringent and distasteful, but others produce a light gum and this is sweet and pleasant. It can be sucked like candy or soaked in water to make a jelly[11].. The gum can be warmed when it becomes soft and chewable[11].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[12].
A green dye is obtained from the seed pods[12].
The extensive root system of this plant helps to prevent soil erosion[5]. It is often planted for this purpose on sandy banks[6].
The bark is rich in tannin[1][7]. On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains 40.8% tannin[13].
Soil: Can grow in light 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 4.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Holliday, Ivan and Ron Hill. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller, 1974.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Rottsieper, E. Vegetable Tannins. The Forestal Land, 1946.