Acacia difficilis
Maiden
River wattle
(c) Samuel Brown, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Samuel Brown
(c) George (Clancy) Lester, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) George (Clancy) Lester, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Gum
Seed - cooked. It can be eaten in the same ways as other small legume seeds and is also ground into a powder then used as a flavouring in desserts or as a nutritious supplement to pastries and breads. The seedpods are 70 - 140mm long and 3 - 4mm wide with black, oblong-elliptic seeds 5.5 - 7mm long, 2 - 4 mm wide. Acacia seeds are highly nutritious and contain around 26% protein, 26% available carbohydrate, 32% fibre and 9% fat. The fat content is higher than most legumes with the aril providing the bulk of fatty acids present. These fatty acids are largely unsaturated. The energy content is high in all species tested, averaging 1480 ±270 kJ per 100g. The seeds are low glycaemic index foods - the starch is digested and absorbed very slowly, producing a small, but sustained rise in blood glucose and so delaying the onset of exhaustion in prolonged exercise. The ground seed can be used to produce a high quality, caffeine-free coffee-like beverage.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It normally grows in sandy well drained soils. It grows naturally in open forest and along creek banks.
Africa, Asia, Australia, Burkina Faso, East Africa, India, Kenya, Niger, Sahel, Southern Africa, West Africa, 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
It is grown from seed. Seed need to be immersed in boiling water for one minute to break the seed coat.
Propagation: The seed of most, if not all, members of this genus has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Acacia seeds that have matured fully on the bush and have been properly dried have a hard seed coat and can be stored in closed containers without deterioration for 5 - 10 years or more in dry conditions at ambient temperatures. It is best to remove the aril, which attracts weevils and can lead to moulds forming. The arils are easilyremoved by placing the seeds in water and rubbing them between the hands, then drying the seeds and winnowing them.
Medicinal Uses
The bark of all Acacia species contains greater or lesser quantities of tannins and are astringent. Astringents are often used medicinally - taken internally, for example. they are used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, and can also be helpful in cases of internal bleeding. Applied externally, often as a wash, they are used to treat wounds and other skin problems, haemorrhoids, perspiring feet, some eye problems, as a mouth wash etc. Many Acacia trees also yield greater or lesser quantities of a gum from the trunk and stems. This is sometimes taken internally in the treatment of diarrhoea and haemorrhoids.
Other Uses
The wood may provide a source of small posts. The wood should be suitable for fuel. The plant can provide low shelter and erosion control in sandy soils. It is used by some mining companies in Australia in their mine rehabilitation activities. The plant flowers heavily and has potential as a source of pollen for bees.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Acacia difficilis, commonly known as river wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the tropical north of Australia. It is a shrub or tree with fibrous bark, elliptic to narrowly elliptic phyllodes, spikes of lemon yellow to golden yellow flowers and linear, leathery pods that more or less resemble a string of beads.
Production
The tree flowers in May to August and produces pods and seeds in August to October.
Notes
There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae.
References (10)
- Brock, J., 1993, Native Plants of Northern Australia, Reed. p 59
- Cherikoff V. & Isaacs, J., The Bush Food Handbook. How to gather, grow, process and cook Australian Wild Foods. Ti Tree Press, Australia p 42, 188, 198
- Doran, J.C., & Turnbull, J.W. (Eds), 1997, Australian Trees and Shrubs: species for land rehabilitation and farm plantings in the tropics. ACIAR Monograph No 24. p 142
- Dunlop, C.R., Leach, G.J. & Cowie, I.D., 1995, Flora of the Darwin Region. Vol 2. Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin No 20. p 8
- Elliot, W.R., & Jones, D.L., 1982, Encyclopedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. Vol 2. Lothian. p 42
- Ewart & O. B. Davies, Fl. N. Territory 344. 1917
- Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 3
- Levitt, D., 1981, Plants and people. Aboriginal uses of plants on Groote Eylandt. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. p 102
- Paczkowska, G . & Chapman, A.R., 2000, The Western Australian Flora. A Descriptive Catalogue. Western Australian Herbarium. p 305
- Wheeler, J.R.(ed.), 1992, Flora of the Kimberley Region. CALM, Western Australian Herbarium, p 299
