Acacia penninervis

Sieber ex DC.

Mountain hickory

Fabaceae Edible: Gum 723 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc-sa

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Summary

Acacia penninervis, commonly known as mountain hickory wattle, or blackwood, is a perennial shrub or tree is an Acacia belonging to subgenus Phyllodineae, that is native to eastern Australia.

Description

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.

Edible Uses

The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that common names included "Hickory" and "Blackwood" and that "The bark (and, according to some, the leaves) of this tree was formerly used by the aboriginals [sic.] of southern New South Wales for catching fish. They would throw them into a waterhole when the fish would rise to the top and be easily caught. Neither the leaves nor bark contain strictly poisonous substances, but, like the other species of Acacia, they would be deleterious, owing to their astringency." Its uses include environmental management. The tannin content of the bark is approximately 18%.