Acacia glaucocarpa

Maiden & Blakeley

Feathery wattle, Hickory wattle

Fabaceae Edible: Seeds, Gum Potential hazards — see below 238 iNaturalist observations

dyefuellandscape architectureornamental

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Summary

Acacia glaucocarpa, commonly known as hickory wattle or glory wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Queensland, Australia. It is a shrub or tree with faintly ridged branchlets covered woolly hairs on the ends, bipinnate leaves, spherical heads of pale yellow to cream coloured flowers and more or less leathery pods.

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 seeds and gum are edible.

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.

Known Hazards

Especially in times of drought, many Acacia species can concentrate high levels of the toxin Hydrogen cyanide in their foliage, making them dangerous for herbivores to eat.

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in sandstone soils. It can tolerate drought but is damaged by frost.

Where It Grows

Australia*,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seeds.

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. Seed germinates best at a temperature around 21°c. Plants make a deep taproot and resent root disturbance, they should be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible. 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. Semi-ripe cuttings of lateral shoots.

Other Uses

Acacia glaucocarpa is reported to be one of the best tannin producers of the Queensland acacias, with a yield of 16 - 26%. Bark harvested for its tannins should only be taken from mature stems, and only when the sap is rising at the beginning of the growing season - which is when the tannin content is highest and the bark is most easily removed from the wood. The wood is moderately dense. It can be used as posts, poles. Acacia glaucocarpa is reputed to have good pulp-making properties and combined with its very good early growth rates appears to have some good potential for pulpwood plantations in eastern Australia. The wood can be used for fuel.