Cootamundra Wattle by Francis Duggan

The Cootamundra wattle the commonest of trees
They sucker all around the place and multiply like bees
In scrubland and steep gullies, in paddocks brown and bare
And in urban parks and gardens, you see them everywhere.

‘Acacia baileyana‘ their species Latin name
And botanists and arboriculturist and other tree experts claim
That though native to Australia they grow too easily
And that they outgrow and outcompete rarer breeds of native tree.

On frosty August morning the paddock looking grey
But Cootamundra wattle help brighten up the day
They bloom when growth is dormant on Winter’s coldest hours
The Cootamundra wattle laden with yellow flowers.

Once indigenous to Cootamundra till introduced down south
And the wattles then took over and found their way about
They can grow on the poorest soils resistant to disease
The Cootamundra wattle is the hardiest of trees.

On coldest days of Winter great beauty they display
But a weed in their own Country the experts on trees say
The Cootamundra wattles you see them everywhere
In urban parks and gardens and paddocks brown and bare.

Francis Duggan