About Wattles

Wattle facts
Wattles for the garden

Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) - Australia's floral emblem

©S. D. Searle

Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) in flower in the
understorey of an open eucalypt forest in South Australia

©S. D. Searle

 Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
©S. D. Searle

 Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) benchtop and stool
©S. D. Searle

'Scarlet Blaze' (Acacia leprosa)
©S. D. Searle

Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana)
©S. D. Searle

Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana)
©S. D. Searle

Wattle facts

Which wattle is Australia's floral emblem?

The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is Australia's official floral emblem. This beautiful species was proclaimed as our emblem on 1st September 1988 but it had been the unofficial floral emblem of Australia by popular choice for many years. It has appeared as a floral motif on many official government documents such as an adornment to the Commonwealth Coat of Arms adopted 19 September 1912.

How many different species of wattles are native to Australia?

Australia is the land of the wattle. About 950 different species of wattles, belonging to the genus Acacia, have been described for Australia and nearly all of these (about 98-99%) are endemic, i.e. they only occur in Australia. More have yet to be described and the final number of different species is expected to be close to 1,000.

What does 'wattle' mean?

The word "wattle" was originally an Anglo-Saxon word that referred particularly to a pliant woody branch or a barrier made from such branches. Early British settlers around Port Jackson (now Sydney) used the pliant stems and branches of local trees as wattles to make the framework for their homes which were daubed with mud. These early homes were called "wattle-and-daub" huts. The word "wattle" was then used to describe the trees and shrubs used for wattles, and it soon became a word used almost exclusively for species of Acacia .

What about the common names for wattles?

Common names for different species of wattle often describe how the bark or foliage looks or smells; such as Black Wattle or Green Wattle (Acacia mearnsii), Flax Wattle (Acacia linifolia) and Sweet Wattle or Sweet-scented Wattle (Acacia suaveolens).

Sometimes very different looking Acacia species have the same common name which can be confusing. For example black wattle is used to describe both Acacia mearnsii (from south-eastern Australia) and Acacia auriculiformis (a tropical species from Qld and NT).

Many wattles have aboriginal names and some of the most prominent are Boree, Boree Wattle or Western Myall (Acacia pendula and several similar species), Mulga (Acacia aneura and several other species), Nelia or Nealie (Acacia loderi) and Yarran (Acacia omalophylla, sometimes spelled as Acacia homalophylla).

Indigenous use of wattles?

Indigenous Australians used wattles routinely for a very wide range of purposes: from food and medicines, to utensils such as digging sticks and barbs, weapons (clubs, shields, boomerangs, spear throwers, spear shafts and heads), for musical instruments such as clap sticks; firewood, ash, glues, string, dyes and waterproofing, sandals and head decorations, ceremonial items and seasonal signals. One species, Acacia kempeana (Witchetty Bush), native to Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland, is home to the Witchetty Grub, a valued food. More information

What do wattles mean to Australians?

On 1 September 1910 the Sydney Morning Herald stated:
"To many Australians the wattle stands for home, country, kindred, sunshine and love every instinct that the heart most deeply enshrines."

Where do wattles grow in Australia?

Wattles grow in nearly all parts of the Australian continent and Tasmania and often clothe the countryside with masses of green and bright golden yellow particularly in springtime in southern Australia. Most northern Australian species flower during Autumn and Winter but a few flower during spring. Wattles are very prominent in arid Australia but uncommon in dense rain forests and alpine regions. In some places, wattles are dominant, particularly in some of the drier regions of the continent but in others they inhabit only the shrub layers in woodlands and forests, especially in eastern, south-eastern Australia and far south-western Western Australia.  

Which Australian state has most wattles?

Western Australia has about 450-500 different wattles and most of these occur in the south-western part of the State.

Do any wattles live in alpine regions?

Most wattles live in dry, arid, tropical or sub-tropical regions but two species occur high up in the Australian and Tasmanian alpine and subalpine regions. One of these, Acacia alpina (Alpine Wattle) is confined to the montane and subalpine regions of the Australian Alps between 1,300 m (4,500 feet) and about 1,800 m (6,000 feet) and it ranges from Lake Mountain near Marysville in Victoria to Cabramurra in the Snowy Mountains, New South Wales with an isolated occurrence in the subalpine mountains in the south of the Australian Capital Territory. The Variable Sallow Wattle (Acacia mucronata), also known as the Narrow-leaved Wattle, reaches an altitude of about 1,000 m (about 3,200 feet) in Tasmania. Both of these wattles can survive under snow for months.

How long do they live?

Most wattles are short-lived and will live no longer than 10-20 years but a few are long-lived (up to 200-300 years). For example, the Western Myall of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, also called Boree or Boree Wattle, (Acacia pendula) lives to 200 years or more, as does Blackwood (Acacia melaonoxon). The Western Myall of Western Australia and South Australia (Acacia papyrocarpa) is known to live about 250 years.

What are wattles used for?

Wattles are very important environmentally and economically. They are vital components of Australia's many and varied ecosystems with their proven capacity to take up nitrogen from the soil through an association with soil bacteria. They provide shade, shelter and fodder where they grow in often harsh landscapes, and are used for ornamental plantings, roadside plantings, erosion control, mining rehabilitation and other revegetation programs. Timber from wattles is used for high quality furniture and veneers and turnery; wattle seed from some species is safe to eat and is used in the bushfood industry and wattle wood is a good firewood.

Are Australian wattles grown overseas?

Australian wattles have been planted overseas for more than a century; as attractive garden ornamentals, as glorious cut flowers; for their fragrant flowers to make perfume in southern France and in large plantations in Africa and south-east Asia for their wood (for making paper and composite wood products) and bark (for tannin to use for tanning leather and making wood glues).

Is it true that some wattles don't have true leaves?

Yes, in fact the majority of wattles lack true leaves when they are mature plants. However, they all have true leaves (which are bipinnate and feather-like) when they are seedlings. A minority of species, retain true feathery leaves throughout their life but with nearly all the others, true leaves are replaced with structures technically called phyllodes. Phyllodes take on many different shapes: these may range from flattened and broad [up to 30 cm wide in one species (Acacia dunnii, appropriately known as Elephant Ear Wattle)] or cylindrical and needle-shaped or occasionally completely absent. Some have thick stubby phyllodes not more than 1-2 mm long.

Are all wattle flowers yellow?

Most wattle flowers are golden yellow or shades of yellow, but there are exceptions.
One wattle (Acacia purpureopetala) in north Queensland has mauve-pink flowers, and another in south-western Western Australia has white flowers (Acacia gilbertii). In Victoria two unusual plants have been found in recent years; one with with red flowers and the other with orange flowers.

The plant with red flowers was found in Victoria 1995 by two bush walkers - Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’. It became Victoria's Centenary of Federation floral emblem and can be bought through nurseries.  

Another has been found with orange flowers. One branch of an acacia called Hedge Wattle (Acacia paradoxa) was found with brilliant orange flowers by Wendy Marriott in 2007 near Stawell Victoria. (Yellow flowers were also blooming on the same plant). Cuttings have been propagated and called ‘Marmalade Hedge’. Hopefully they will be available around 2010 from Austraflora Nurseries according to Neil Marriott.

What are the tallest and shortest wattles?

Acacia bakeri (White Marblewood also called Baker's Wattle or Scrub Wattle) is the tallest and has been recorded at nearly 50 m high with a trunk 1.5 m in diameter. White Marblewood is native to south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), native to South Australia and all eastern states of Australia and including the Australian Capital Territory has been known to reach 30 m (100 feet) but large trees are now very rare.

There are several wattles which may be only a few centimetres in height. One of these, Acacia aculeatissima (Snake Wattle) grows in south-eastern Australia (far South-eastern New South Wales and Victoria).

However most wattles are shrubs less than 3-4 m high. Some others barely reach 10 centimetres high and others creep along the ground. Two wattles in far northern Queensland are lianas.

Are there any 'weedy' wattles ?

Some species of wattles are invasive and care should be taken in using these as garden subjects, particularly outside their natural range. The following species may be troublesome in some regions: Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana); Snowy River Wattle (Acacia boormanii); Knife-leaved Wattle (Acacia cultriformis); Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata); Sydney Green Wattle (Acacia decurrens); Mountain Cedar Wattle (Acacia elata); Sydney Golden Wattle (Acacia longifolia); Queensland Silver Wattle, also called Mount Morgan Wattle (Acacia podalyriifolia); Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha has become invasive in the Perth District, Western Australia) and Orange Wattle, also called Golden Wreath Wattle (Acacia saligna).

Several wattles have become troublesome overseas, especially in South Africa where, for example, the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) and Sydney Golden Wattle (Acacia longifolia) have become weeds.

Another species, Georgina Gidgee (Acacia georginae), is very poisonous and is particularly dangerous to sheep and cattle. It is indigenous to Northern Territory, far northern South Australia and Queensland. For further information on this species, see S.L. Everist, Poisonous Plants of Australia, Revised Edition (1981).

Are wattles easy to grow and which species are the best?

This is a very difficult question to answer because there are so many different species and they grow in many different soils and climatic conditions. However, most wattles are easy to grow and a visit to your local nursery should be useful to find out which species will suit your particular needs and local conditions. Their early rapid growth in the first 2-3 years after planting can make them very useful if you want to establish a garden or visual screen or animal habitat or stop erosion quickly.

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Gold-dust Wattle (Acacia acinacea)
©S. D. Searle

Wyalong Wattle (Acacia cardiophylla)
©S. D. Searle

Snowy River Wattle (Acacia boormanii)
©S. D. Searle

Hairy Wattle (Acacia vestita)
©S. D. Searle

Queensland Silver Wattle (Acacia podalyriifolia)
©S. D. Searle

Above & below -Queensland Silver Wattle showing its bright yellow flowers and attractive grey-green foliage

Queensland Silver Wattle (Acacia podalyriifolia)
©S. D. Searle

Blue Bush (Acacia convenyi)
©S. D. Searle

Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha)
©S. D. Searle

Sticky Wattle (Acacia howittii) ©S. D. Searle

 Above & below - Sticky Wattle (Acacia howittii) showing its pendulous foliage

A wall of Sticky Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) ©S. D. Searle

Blay's Wattle (Acacia blayana)
©S. D. Searle

Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata)
©S. D. Searle

Wattles for the garden 

The history of cultivation of wattles goes back to the middle of the eighteenth century, perhaps even further than that. The first evidence that an Australian wattle was cultivated comes from a book published in 1768 and it refers to a specimen that was grown in a private botanical garden in Batavia (now Jakarta) from seed that must have been collected in Australia, possibly by the Dutch explorer Vlamingh. He visited Swan River district (now Perth, Western Australia) in 1697 and most likely took some seeds (doubtfully plants) to Java.

Australian wattles were introduced into England soon after British settlement at Port Jackson (New South Wales) and immediately proved very popular. With the passing of time many different species were introduced not only to England but also to many European countries.

Many wattles are excellent plants for the garden and a selection appears below covering a wide range of regions and conditions in Australia. A trip to your local plant nursery for advice on specific species would always be worthwhile for additional help. It is possible, also, to choose a wattle that should flower on 1 September in your area.

The following wattles are listed in order from the smallest (2m) to the largest (30 m) by height
(a useful characteristic for selecting a wattle for your garden or property):

Acacia aspera (Rough Wattle). Native to New South Wales and Victoria.
Small spreading shrub 2 m high. Phyllodes 1-4 cm long and 1-4 mm wide, covered with rigid hairs. Flowers bright yellow, appearing from Jul-Nov. Moderately frost hardy. Suitable for planting in most parts of southern Australia and useful for small gardens.

Acacia drummondii (Drummond's Wattle). Native to Western Australia. Rounded or erect shrub up to 2 m high. Leaves bipinnate. Flowers in spikes up 1.5-3.0 cm long, bright golden yellow, appearing Jul-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. Suitable as a garden shrub for temperate regions.

Acacia gracilifolia (Graceful Wattle). Native to South Australia where it is confined to the southern Flinders Ranges.

Usually a spreading shrub 1-2 m high. Phyllodes long and narrow, about 5-15 cm long and 1-2 mm wide. Flowers in globular heads, bright golden-yellow, appearing Aug-Oct. Not expected to be frost hardy. An excellent garden subject on account of its graceful habit and superb flowers. Suited to most parts south-eastern Australia.

Acacia acinacea (Gold-dust Wattle). Native to South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

Small spreading shrub 1-2.5 m high. Phyllodes narrow or round, 1-3 cm long and 0.5-1.0 cm wide. Flowers in small globular heads; usually deep yellow. Masses of flowers in spring. Moderately frost hardy. Suitable for small gardens in south-eastern Australia.

Acacia argyraea (no common name). Native to Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland.

Tree 3 m high or a shrub with blue-grey foliage. Phyllodes 4-8 cm long and 1.5-4.0 cm wide, densely covered with silvery hairs. Flowers in spikes 1.5-3.0 cm long, yellow, appearing Apr-Jul. Suitable for small gardens in northern Australia. Not frost hardy. Suitable for planting in tropical and subtropical regions.

Acacia rossei (Rosse's Wattle). Native to Western Australia.

Open shrub 2-3 (-5) m high. Phyllodes linear, 1-2 cm long and less than 1 mm wide, usually sticky, densely arranged towards the ends of the branches. Flowers in globular heads on long stalks grouped towards the ends of the branches, deep golden-yellow, appearing Jul-Nov. Should survive very mild frosts. Spectacular shrub suitable for dry sandy areas in temperate Australia.

Acacia cardiophylla (Wyalong Wattle). Native to New South Wales.

Small spreading tree to 3.3 m high. Leaves bipinnate, often yellow-green. Flowers in globular heads, bright golden-yellow, appearing Oct-Dec. Moderately frost hardy. Suitable for small gardens in most parts of south-eastern Australia.

Acacia boormanii (Snowy River Wattle). Native to New South Wales and Victoria.

Erect tree 4 m high or usually a shrub. Phyllodes linear, 2-8 cm long and 1.5-3.0 mm wide, pale bluish-grey. Flowers in small globular heads, bright yellow, appearing Aug-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. This species has a tendency to become an adventive in bushland in some areas and it also suckers readily.

Acacia buxifolia (Box-leaved Wattle). Native to Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

Shrub 1-4 m high, rather straggly but it flowers very well in spring. Phyllodes small and oblong, usually 1.5-3.0 cm long and 0.8-1.5 cm long. Flowers in small globular heads, usually deep golden-yellow, appearing Jul-Nov. Moderately frost hardy. This wattle makes a very good display when many plants are grown closely together and is suitable for most parts of south-eastern Australia.

Acacia iteaphylla (Winter Wattle, Gawler Ranges Wattle). Native to South Australia.

Erect or spreading tree 2-4 m high or a shrub. Phyllodes usually linear, 5-10 and 3-6 mm wide. Flowers in small short spike-like groups of 6-12 globular heads, creamy yellow, appearing principally Mar-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. Suitable for temperate regions.

Acacia spectabilis (Mudgee Wattle or Glory Wattle). Native to Queensland and New South Wales.

Shrub or small tree up to 2-4 (-6 m) m high with bluish-grey stems and leaves. Leaves bipinnate. Flowers in large globular heads, bright golden yellow, appearing Jul-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. The brilliant flowers make it a superb garden specimen in most parts of temperate Australia especially when planted en masse.

Acacia vestita (Hairy Wattle). Native to New South Wales.

Spreading shrub up to 4 m high. Phyllodes usually ovate or elliptical, 1-2 cm long, densely hairy. Flowers in globular heads, golden yellow, appearing Sep-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. Popular garden shrub suitable for temperate regions.

Acacia kempeana (Witchetty Bush). Native to Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland.

Spreading shrub 2-5 m high. Phyllodes narrow-elliptic, 5-10 cm and 0.5-1.5 cm wide, bluish-green. Flowers in spikes 2.5-5.0 cm long, mid-yellow, appearing Jun-Aug. Suitable for dry regions where frosts are absent.

Acacia macradenia (Zig-zag Wattle). Native to Queensland.

Shrub up to 3-5 m high with zig-zag stems. Phyllodes narrow-lanceolate, 15-25 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. Flowers in globular heads, golden yellow, appearing Jul-Aug. Not expected to tolerate frosts. Suitable for subtropical regions.

Acacia adunca (Wallangarra Wattle or Cascade Wattle). Native to Queensland and New South Wales.

Broom-like tree up to 6 m high. Phyllodes long and narrow, 5-12 cm long and 1-4 mm wide. Flowers in globular heads, deep golden yellow, appearing Apr-Nov. It is one of the most brilliant of the wattles renowned for flowers and young coppery foliage. Moderately frost hardy. Suitable for planting in the tablelands districts of New South Wales.

Acacia dunnii (Elephant Ear Wattle). Native to Western Australia and Northern Territory.

Open shrub or small tree up to 6 m high, rarely higher. Phyllodes are the largest of all Acacias and are up to 45 cm long and 30 wide, hence the common name. Flowers in globular heads. Not expected to withstand frosts. Suitable for planting in tropical and subtropical regions and noted for its novelty value.

Acacia podalyriifolia (Queensland Silver Wattle, Mount Morgan Wattle). Native to Queensland and New South Wales.

Spreading tree up to 7 m high. Phyllodes usually ovate, 2-4 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, densely hairy and silvery-grey. Flowers in globular heads, bright golden yellow, appearing Jul-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. Useful as garden specimen in temperate regions but it sometimes becomes invasive.

Acacia conspersa (no common name). Native to Northern Territory.

Tree up to 7.5 m high but often a shrub. Phyllodes narrow-lanceolate, 4-10 cm long and 0.5-1.0 cm wide, often crowded. Flowers in spikes up to 5 cm long, bright golden-yellow, appearing Apr-Jul. Not expected to be frost hardy. Suitable for planting in tropical and subtropical regions.

Acacia covenyi (Blue Bush or Coveny's Wattle). Native to New South Wales. Indigenous to the escarpment country near the Bendethra Caves between Cooma and Batemans Bay.

Shrub or small tree to 7.5 m high. Phyllodes lanceolate, linear or narrow lanceolate, 3-6 cm long and 0.5-1.0 cm wide, bluish-grey. Flowers in globular heads, golden yellow, appearing Aug-Sep. Moderately frost hardy. Although a relative newcomer to cultivation, it is proving popular and is suitable for most parts of south-eastern Australia.

Acacia aneura (Common Mulga). Native to Western Australia, Northern Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.

Erect or spreading tree up to 8 m high but can reach 18 depending on subspecies. Phyllodes variable in shape but usually lanceolate to linear, 2-10 cm long and 1-10 mm wide, greyish-green. Flowers in spikes 2-3 cm long, golden yellow, appearing mainly Jun-Sep. Moderately frost hardy. An important wattle in arid Australia where it is suitable for streets, gardens and parks. Common Mulga is highly prized for its hard colourful wood and has been used extensively for ornaments.

Acacia floribunda (Gossamer Wattle). Native to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Spreading tree up to 8 m high. Phyllodes linear, 5-12 cm long and 2-10 mm wide. Flowers in spikes 3-5 cm long, creamy yellow, appearing Jul-Sep. Moderately frost hardy. Fast-growing tree useful as a screening plant and suitable for temperate regions. It grows well along creeks and rivers.

Acacia holosericea (Silky Wattle). Native to Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland.

Erect or spreading tree up to 8 m high. Phyllodes mostly lanceolate, 7-10 cm long and 1-3 cm wide, greyish-green. Flowers in spikes 3-8 cm long, golden yellow, appearing Jun-Aug. Not expected to be frost hardy. A widely cultivated species in northern Australia and suitable for tropical and subtropical regions. Useful for shelter and soil erosion control.

Acacia papyrocarpa (Western Myall). Native to Western Australia and South Australia.

Spreading tree up to 8 m high (rarely higher). Phyllodes linear, long and narrow, 4.0-8.0 cm long and 1-4 mm wide. Flowers in small globular heads, pale golden-yellow, appearing usually Aug-Oct but sometimes during other months. Can tolerate mild frosts. Hardy and long-lived and well-suited to sandy hard soils in southern Australia between eastern Western Australia and far western Victoria.

Acacia pravissima (Ovens Wattle). Native to New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

Spreading tree up to 8 m high. Phyllodes more or less triangular, about 1.0-1.5 cm long and about the same wide, usually dull green. Flowers in small globular heads, yellow, appearing Aug-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. Useful for gardens and as shelter.

Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle). Native to South Australia, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, and has been introduced to the Perth District, Western Australia.

Small spreading tree to 3-8 m under good conditions. Phyllodes variable in shape ranging from obovate and oblanceolate to narrow lanceolate and sometimes falcate, 6-20 cm long and 1-5 cm wide, occasionally wider. Flowers in large globular heads, bright golden-yellow, appearing Jul-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. As Australia's National Floral Emblem, this wattle is always worthy of planting and does well in temperate regions where severe frosts are absent. A local "strain" of the Golden Wattle in the Canberra region will survive very cold winters but the usual form from South Australia and Victoria might not unless it is well protected.

Acacia howittii (Sticky Wattle). Native to Victoria where it is known principally from South Gippsland.

Tree up to 3-9 m high with bright green foliage often looking as though it has been varnished. Phyllodes 1.5-3 cm long and 0.5-10 cm long. Flowers in globular heads, usually creamy-yellow, appearing Aug-Nov. Moderately frost hardy. This is a very popular species and can be clipped into a fine hedge. Suitable for temperate regions.

Acacia baileyana (Cootamundra Wattle). Native to New South Wales.

Spreading tree to 6-10 m high. Leaves bipinnate, usually bluish green. Flowers in small heads, golden-yellow, appearing Jul-Sep. Moderately frost hardy. This has been a very popular wattle in the past but it is now regarded as undesirable in many areas because of its invasive nature. Frequently planted in south-eastern Australia.

Acacia doratoxylon (Brown Lancewood). Native to New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

Usually a rounded tree to 10 m high and about the same across. Phyllodes long and narrow, 8-20 cm long and 0.2-1.0 cm wide. Flowers in spikes 2-3 cm long, bright yellow, appearing Sep-Nov. Moderately frost hardy. A slow-growing species suitable for most parts of south-eastern Australia.

Acacia longifolia [includes Acacia sophorae ] (Sydney Golden Wattle, Coast Wattle). Native to South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

Erect or spreading tree up to 10 m high and as much as 25 m across in exceptional cases. Phyllodes elliptical, lanceolate or narrow-lanceolate, 5-25 cm long and 1.0-3.5 mm wide. Flowers in spikes 2-5 cm long, golden yellow, appearing Jun-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. This is a species which has been planted in many regions in south-eastern Australia and is often a nuisance. It has become a weed in some places overseas. Particularly suitable for coastal planting.

Acacia acuminata (Raspberry Jam Wattle). Native to Western Australia.

Small tree up to nearly 12 m high or a shrub. Phyllodes long and narrow, from 8-20 cm long and 2-8 mm wide. Flowers in spikes; deep yellow. Moderately frost hardy. Suitable for small gardens in south-western Western Australia and south-eastern Australia, particularly sandy areas.

Acacia falciformis (Broad-leaved Hickory Wattle, Mountain Hickory). Native to Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

Erect tree up to 12 m high. Phyllodes lanceolate or narrow-lanceoate, 8-20 cm long and 2-6 cm wide, sometimes falcate, usually conspicuously grey-green. Flowers in globular heads, pale yellow, appearing Oct-Dec and sometimes other months. Moderately frost hardy. A very hardy tree and suitable for planting in well-drained exposed rocky places in temperate regions.

Acacia aulacocarpa (Brush Ironbark Wattle). Native to Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales and also New Guinea.

Spreading tree occasionally up to 12-15 m high. Phyllodes 8-20 cm long and 2-5 cm wide, more or less falcate. Flowers in spikes, pale golden-yellow, appearing Mar-Jun, rarely later. Not frost hardy. Suitable for tropical and subtropical regions.

Acacia caerulescens (Buchan Blue Wattle). Native to Victoria.

This is a recently described species. Usually an erect tree up to 10-15 m high. Phyllodes usually obovate, 4-8 cm long and 1-3 cm wide, bluish green. Flowers in globular heads, creamy yellow, usually appearing Oct-Nov but sometimes at other times of the year. Moderately frost hardy. Excellent garden subject on account of its foliage. Suitable for south-eastern Australia and particularly limestone sites.

Acacia blayana (Brogo Wattle or Blay's Wattle). A rare species known only from the Wadbilliga National Park north-west of Bega, New South Wales.

Tree up to 25 m high in its native habitat. Leaves bipinnate, large and bluish green. Flowers in large globular heads, golden yellow, appearing Sep-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. It is a recently described species so not much is known about it yet. It is noteworthy for its excellent bluish-green foliage and heavy abundant flowers and should prove an excellent addition to gardens in south-eastern Australia.

Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle). Native to New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania and it has been introduced into South Australia.

Tree up to 30 m high with a trunk up to 60 cm in diameter. Leaves bipinnate, usually grey-green. Flowers in small globular heads, creamy yellow, appearing Jul-Oct. Will withstand severe frosts. Suitable for planting in south-eastern Australia. A montane form with very glaucous foliage takes on a shrubby form and is useful for sub-alpine conditions.

Acacia melanoxylon (Blackwood). Native to South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania.

Tree up to 30 m (-45 m) high in its natural habitat but perhaps only 10-15 m in cultivation. Phyllodes lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 6-12 cm long and 1.0-3.0 cm wide. Flowers in globular heads, pale yellow or cream, appearing during late Jul-Oct. Moderately frost hardy. This is a very hardy long-lived tree.

Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
©S. D. Searle

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Snowy River Wattle (Acacia boormanii)
©S. D. Searle