wattles

WATTLES

GENUS - ACACIA

About 1300 species exist worldwide,of these around 900 are found in Australia,30 on Lower E.P.Local Aborigines used various forms of certain species as bush tucker and medicine.I think I have found 11 species around Lincoln Cove,please correct me if you know I'm wrong.

ALCOCK'S  WATTLE   Acacia  alcockii                           Named after Mr C. R. Alcock who collected plants extensively on Eyre Peninsula.Bushy shrub or small tree to 3 m, bark grey or brown, reddish on young branches. Phyllodes (leaves) narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 6-9 cm long.Legumes (pods) to 90mm long. Flowers globular, pale yellow, 10mm December and February.(Photo - Billy Lights Point )

COASTAL WATTLE Acacia  longifolia

Tall erect, or low bushy, spreading shrubs, 3-7 m high; branchlets angular, bark dark grey, roughened. Phyllodes linear-lanceolate, oblong, 6-15 cm long.Legumes 5-10 cm long, 4-6 mm broad, Flowers are spikes rather dense or sometimes loose , bright yellow, 2-4 cm long.Chiefly restricted to coastal sand dunes,S.A Qld, N.S.W., Vic. and Tas. Flowering July — October.   (Photo - Lincoln Cove )

                SPINY  WATTLE    Acacia  spinescens                                                                   Small,erect,rigid,spreading shrubs to 1M high,branches spinescent,grey-green.Phyllodes absent,flower-heads small,globular,bright yellow,July - Oct.Legumes curved,light brown,2-3 cm long and 3mm broad.Occurs S.A,N.S.W,Western Vic. (Photo-Billy Light's Pt )

                                                                                                                                                                             

KANGAROO  THORN   Acacia  paradoxa

Dense,bushy,spreading ,prickly shrubs to 3M high.Phyllodes obliquely long or lanceolate.Flower heads globular,golden-yellow,August - Nov.Legumes cylindrical,straight or curved,4-7Cm long,4-5mm broadusually soft and hairy.Occurs in dense patches,open scrubland,all States but N.T.( Photo - Parnkalla Trail )

MYRTLE  WATTLE    Acacia  myrtifolia

Erect, glabrous, bushy shrubs 1-2 m high; branchlets acutely angled,reddish.Phyllodes variable in shape, linear-lanceolate, oblanceolate, obliquely ovate or more or less elliptical, 2-10 cm long, 4-30 mm broad, flat,1 prominent vein. Flower racemes about as long as, or occasionally, longer than phyllodes; flower-heads more or less globular, pale yellow,July — October.Legumes 4-7 cm long, c. 4 mm broad, curved, light brown.Occurs S.A, WA, Qld, NSW, Vic, Tas. ( Photo-Parnkalla Trail ).

MALLEE  WREATH  WATTLE   Acacia  triquetra
Spreading shrub to 1.5M tall,branchlets angle towards apex.Phyllodes narrowly oblong,
oblanceolate to elliptic,10-25mm long,2-6mm wide,straight or slightly curved.Flower heads 
globular,yellow,July - Oct.Legumes linear,to 6cm long,3-4mm wide,straight to shallowly curved.Restricted to S.A on Eyre and Yorke peninsula and on Kangaroo Island.
 ( Photo-Lincoln Cove ).

COAST  WALLOWA   Acacia nematophylla

Bushy shrubs to 2.5M tall,branchlets angled at extremities.Phyllodes narrowly linear,

20-40mm long,0.7-1.5mm wide,ascending to erect,straight or shallowly curved,cylindrical,slightly hooked.Flower heads globular,yellow,mainly Summer.Legumes linear to 11cm long,5-6 wide.South Australia on Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas.

( Photo - Billy Light's Point ).

COAST  GOLDEN  WATTLE    Acacia  leiophylla

Erect or spreading shrubs 1-2.5 m high, either dense compact and single stemmed or spreading and openly branched with a number of stems arising from near ground level.Phyllodes lanceolate, 7-17 cm long, 9-25 mm broad, usually broadest above the middle.Flower-heads globular, bright yellow,August — November.Legumes linear, 9-12.5 cm long, 5-6 mm broad, more or less straight, firmly chartaceous, raised over seeds,dark brown.Endemic to South Australia.

( Photo-Lincoln Cove )

ANGLE  WATTLE   Acacia  anceps

Erect, rigid, glabrous, spreading shrubs 1-3 m high, the same, branching from the ground; branchlets compressed or flattened and very acutely angled or winged. Phyllodes linear oblong, narrow obovate, broadly ovate-oblong oblique 1-5 cm long, 1-3.5 cm broad, thick rigid often undulate. flower-heads globular large, deep golden yellow,: September — February (mainly summer months). Legumes stipitate flat often undulate, straight or curved, 3-5 cm long, 10-12 mm broad.Endemic to S.A

( Photo - Lincoln Cove )

GOLDEN  WATTLE   Acacia  pycnantha

Glabrous, medium-sized shrubs or small trees about 4-8 m high; trunk short, 12-20 cm diameter; bark usually smooth but sometimes scaly or roughened at the base, dark brown. Phyllodes broad-lanceolate, oblanceolate, 6-20 cm long 5-50 mm broad, broadest above the centre, curved or falcate. flower-heads large, globular, golden-yellow, August — October.

Legumes linear, 5-12 cm long, 5-7 mm broad, more or less straight, flat, raised over seeds. This species occurs in S.A,  WA*, NSW, Vic, Tas*.It is the official Australian floral emblem.

( Photo-Parnkalla Trail )  

 UMBRELLA  BUSH  Acacia  ligulata
Bushy, spreading, more or less rounded, compact shrubs 1-5 m high.Phyllodes linear or linear-oblong, 3-9 cm long, 3-10 mm broad, flat, rather thick, wrinkled when dry.Flower-heads globular, bright yellow,August — November.Legumes linear, 5-10 cm long, 4-10 mm broad, thick, light brown, margins thickened, more or less constricted between seeds. S.A,W.Aust., N.T., Qld, N.S.W. and Vic. ( Photo-Lincoln Cove )

WESTERN  COASTAL  WATTLE   Acacia  cyclops
Dense, bushy, rounded, spreading shrubs 2-4 m high, branching at or just above ground level often with foliage almost to the ground, a conspicuous feature is the old legumes which often persist on the bush after the seeds have been shed. Phyllodes narrowly oblong to narrowly obovate, 4-9 cm long, 6-12 mm broad, straight or curved.Flower-heads, globular, yellow, December — March. Legumes narrowly-oblong, 4-10 cm long, 8-12 mm broad, curved.
Found only in S.A and W.A.  ( Photo- Lincoln Cove )