Acacia saligna
| Acacia saligna | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 20' |
| Width: | 20' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Winter-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
Acacia saligna (common name: blue-leaved 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][4], though it also succeeds in dry soils and is tolerant of wet conditions[4]. Succeeds in any good garden soil that is not excessively limey[5][4]. Most species become chlorotic on limey soils[6]. Tolerates salt-laden winds and maritime exposure[6]. An extremely rugged tree, it grows rapidly, is adaptable to barren slopes, derelict land, and exceptionally arid conditions[7]. Reported from the Australian Centre of Diversity, orange wattle, or cvs thereof, is reported to tolerate alkalinity, drought, heavy soil, poor soil, salinity, salt spray, sand, shade, slope, waterlogging, and weeds[7].
Trees are not very hardy outdoors in Britain, they tolerate occasional temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c, but even in the mildest areas of the country they are likely to be killed in excessively harsh winters[5].
Plants spread by means of suckers[6] and trees that have been killed in cold weather can sometimes regrow from the roots. Regrowth of established bushes is so good that Acacia saligna can be completely grazed off without harming the plants[7].
Because of its hardiness and profuse reproductive abilities, Acacia saligna has become a serious menace in parts of South Africa by invading and displacing indigenous vegetation[7]. It infests water courses (sometimes decreasing the water available for irrigation), and has proved difficult to eradicate[7].
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]. It also has a symbiotic relationship with ants[6].
Range: Australia - W. Australia.
Habitat: Sandy, coastal plains, but also in swampy sites and riverbanks to small, rocky hills (often granitic), on poor acid or calcareous sands, under the most dry and adverse soil conditions[7].
Edibility: Flowers - cooked[8]. Rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters.
The damaged bark exudes copious amounts of a very acidic gum that seems to show promise for use in pickles and other acidic foodstuffs[7].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[9].
A green dye is obtained from the seed pods[9].
On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains 21.5% tannin[10].
A fast growing plant, it is used for reclaiming eroded hillsides and wastelands and for stabilizing drift sands as well as for fuel. This is one of the best woody species for binding moving sand. It is useful for windbreaks, amenity plantings, beautification projects, and roadside stabilization in semiarid regions[7].
Plants are heavily armed with thorns and make a good screen or hedge in warm temperate areas[6].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Duke, James. Handbook of Energy Crops. 1983.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Rottsieper, E. Vegetable Tannins. The Forestal Land, 1946.