Acacia saligna
Blue-Leaved Wattle
a perennial woody evergreen member of the Acacia genus in the family Leguminosae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Leguminosae
- Genus
- Acacia
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- evergreen
- Woodiness
- woody
- Growth rate
- vigorous
- Height
- 6 m
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Flowers - cooked[4]. 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[10].
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Product or use
- Gum
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers[5]. A green dye is obtained from the seed pods[5]. On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains 21.5% tannin[7]. 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[10]. Plants are heavily armed with thorns and make a good screen or hedge in warm temperate areas[6].
- Product or use
- Fuel
- Product or use
- Tannin
Ecology and functions
Environment
- 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[10].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 8+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- high wind, maritime exposure, drought
- Wind
- Yes
- Maritime
- Yes
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- tolerant
- Salinity
- tolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
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[3]. 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[11]. Overwinter in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Fair percentage[11].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position[1][8], though it also succeeds in dry soils and is tolerant of wet conditions[8]. Succeeds in any good garden soil that is not excessively limey[2][8]. 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[10]. 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[10]. 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[2]. 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[10]. 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[10]. It infests water courses (sometimes decreasing the water available for irrigation), and has proved difficult to eradicate[10]. 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].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987-00-00
Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Rottsieper. E.H.W. Vegetable Tannins The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. 1946-00-00
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0730104001
Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00
Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00