Acacia saligna
Blue-Leaved Wattle

Uses

Edible uses

Notes

Flowers - cooked^[1]. 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^[2].

Flowers

Unknown use

Unknown part

Gum

Material uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers^[3].

A green dye is obtained from the seed pods^[3]. On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains 21.5% tannin^[4]. 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^[2].

Plants are heavily armed with thorns and make a good screen or hedge in warm temperate areas^[5].

Unknown part

Fuel

Tannin

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

There are no medicinal uses listed for Acacia saligna.

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Hedge

Earth stabiliser

Nitrogen fixer

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse^[6]. 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^[7]. 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^[8]. Overwinter in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Fair percentage^[8].

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Acacia saligna. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.

Cultivation

Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position^[6]^[9], though it also succeeds in dry soils and is tolerant of wet conditions^[9]. Succeeds in any good garden soil that is not excessively limey^[10]^[9]. Most species become chlorotic on limey soils^[5]. Tolerates salt-laden winds and maritime exposure^[5]. An extremely rugged tree, it grows rapidly, is adaptable to barren slopes, derelict land, and exceptionally arid conditions^[2]. 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^[2].

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^[10]. Plants spread by means of suckers^[5] 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^[2]. 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^[2]. It infests water courses (sometimes decreasing the water available for irrigation), and has proved difficult to eradicate^[2].

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^[5]. It also has a symbiotic relationship with ants^[5].

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Acacia saligna. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Acacia saligna.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

References

? ^1.0^1.1 Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana ISBN 0-00-634436-4 (1976-00-00)
? ^2.0^2.1^2.2^2.3^2.4^2.5^2.6^2.7^2.8 Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - (1983-00-00)
? ^3.0^3.1^3.2 Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. ISBN 0-02-544950-8 (1974-00-00)
? ^4.0^4.1 Rottsieper. E.H.W. Vegetable Tannins The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. (1946-00-00)
? ^5.0^5.1^5.2^5.3^5.4^5.5^5.6^5.7 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)
? ^6.0^6.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)
? Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. (1987-00-00)
? ^8.0^8.1 Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co (1948-00-00)
? ^9.0^9.1^9.2 Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. ISBN 0-330-37376-5 (1998-00-00)
? ^10.0^10.1 Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray (1981-00-00)
? Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. ISBN 0730104001 (1993-00-00)

"image:Acacia saligna(01).jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

[PFAFimport-144-1] ? ^1.0^1.1 Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana ISBN 0-00-634436-4 (1976-00-00)

[PFAFimport-269-2] ? ^2.0^2.1^2.2^2.3^2.4^2.5^2.6^2.7^2.8 Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - (1983-00-00)

[PFAFimport-168-3] ? ^3.0^3.1^3.2 Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. ISBN 0-02-544950-8 (1974-00-00)

[PFAFimport-223-4] ? ^4.0^4.1 Rottsieper. E.H.W. Vegetable Tannins The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. (1946-00-00)

[PFAFimport-200-5] ? ^5.0^5.1^5.2^5.3^5.4^5.5^5.6^5.7 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)

[PFAFimport-1-6] ? ^6.0^6.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)

[PFAFimport-133-7] ? Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. (1987-00-00)

[PFAFimport-78-8] ? ^8.0^8.1 Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co (1948-00-00)

[PFAFimport-260-9] ? ^9.0^9.1^9.2 Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. ISBN 0-330-37376-5 (1998-00-00)

[PFAFimport-11-10] ? ^10.0^10.1 Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray (1981-00-00)

[PFAFimport-265-11] ? Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. ISBN 0730104001 (1993-00-00)

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Article is incomplete	Yes +
Article requires citations	No +
Article requires cleanup	Yes +
Belongs to family	Leguminosae +
Belongs to genus	Acacia +
Functions as	Hedge +, Earth stabiliser + and Nitrogen fixer +
Has common name	Blue-Leaved Wattle +
Has drought tolerance	Tolerant +
Has edible part	Flowers + and Unknown part +
Has edible use	Unknown use + and Gum +
Has environmental tolerance	Maritime exposure +, High wind +, Drought + and Salinity +
Has flowers of type	Hermaphrodite +
Has growth rate	Vigorous +
Has hardiness zone	8 +
Has image	Acacia saligna(01).jpg +
Has lifecycle type	Perennial +
Has material part	Unknown part +
Has material use	Fuel + and Tannin +
Has mature height	6 +
Has primary image	Acacia saligna(01).jpg +
Has salinity tolerance	Tolerant +
Has search name	acacia saligna + and x +
Has shade tolerance	No shade +
Has soil ph preference	Acid +, Neutral +, Alkaline + and Very alkaline +
Has soil teclayture preference	Clay +
Has soil teheavy clayture preference	Heavy clay +
Has soil teloamyture preference	Loamy +
Has soil tesandyture preference	Sandy +
Has soil water retention preference	Well drained +
Has sun preference	Full sun +
Has taxonomy name	Acacia saligna +
Has water requirements	moderate +
Is deciduous or evergreen	Evergreen +
Is herbaceous or woody	Woody +
Is taxonomy type	Species +
Tolerates maritime exposure	Yes +
Tolerates nutritionally poor soil	No +
Tolerates wind	Yes +
Uses mature size measurement unit	Meters +

Uses

Edible uses

Notes

Flowers

Unknown part

Material uses

Unknown part

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Forage

Shelter

Propagation

Cultivation

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

Polycultures & Guilds

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

Subspecies

Full Data

References

About Practical Plants

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