Acacia dealbata

What to Eat

Edible parts: Gum, Flowers

Flowers and trunk gum are both edible. Flowers are cooked and, being rich in pollen, are often used in fritters. A gum that exudes naturally from the trunk can be eaten as a substitute for Gum Arabic. It is highly water-soluble and viscous but of low quality. Larger quantities can be obtained by tapping the trunk. Some species produce a dark gum that tends to be astringent and unpleasant, while others yield a light gum that is sweet and enjoyable — it can be sucked like candy, soaked in water to make a jelly, or warmed until soft and chewable.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It can grow on stony soils and creekbanks. Tasmania Herbarium. Arboretum Tasmania. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Azores, Central America, Chile, China, Costa Rica, East Africa, Easter Island, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, France, Greece, Guatemala, India, Indochina, Italy, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, North America, Portugal, Reunion, SE Asia, Slovenia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Uganda, USA, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe,

How to Identify

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

How to Grow

Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position sheltered from strong winds. Succeeds in any good garden soil that is lime-free. Plants become chlorotic on limey soils. They grow well in a hot dry position, and are very drought tolerant. Fast growing. Although it prefers a well-drained soil, the plant is tolerant of both drought and wet conditions. Hardy to about -10°c, this species succeeds outdoors in the milder areas of Britain, growing well in Cornwall. If it is cut down by frosts it usually resprouts from the base to form a thicket of slender stems. It can be trained and grown against a sunny wall. Plants require hot, sunny summers if they are to ripen their wood fully and flower freely. In Britain they tend to do best when grown in coastal gardens in a sunny, sheltered position that is protected from the wind. This species is closely allied to A. decurrens. Old specimens sucker very freely, often at considerable distances from the parent tree. Plants can be coppiced. A very ornamental tree, there are some named varieties. The species is cultivated in S. Europe for ornament, timber and soil stabilization. The flowers are very attractive and are often sold in florists. The violet-like perfume of the flowers can be quite intoxicating on a calm day. 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.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse. Stored seed should be scarified, pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water, then sown in a warm greenhouse in March. Germination takes 3–4 weeks at 25°C. Prick seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on in a sunny greenhouse position through their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts, with some cold protection recommended for the first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel taken in July/August can be potted individually in a frame, overwintered in a greenhouse, and planted out in late spring or early summer. Fair success rate.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers and a green dye from the seed pods. The plant's extensive root system helps prevent soil erosion. Tannin is obtained from the bark, which contains 19.1% tannin on a 10% moisture basis.

Acacia dealbata, commonly known as silver wattle, blue wattle or mimosa, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern mainland Australia. It is a bushy shrub or spreading tree with smooth bark, bluish grey or silvery and glaucous bipinnate leaves, spherical heads of yellow to bright yellow flowers, and straight to slightly curved pods. The Wiradjuri people of New South Wales use the name giigandul for the species.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae.

More from Fabaceae

Abrus cantoniensis

Abrus precatorius

Bird's eye, Indian liquorice

Abrus precatorius subsp. africanus

Abrus pulchellus

Malay licorice

Acacia abyssinica

Flat-top acacia

Acacia acatlensis

Chondata