Acacia eriopoda
Maiden & Blakely
Broome Pindan Wattle
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Summary
Source: WikipediaAcacia eriopoda, commonly known as Broome pindan wattle or narrow-leaf pindan wattle and as yirrakulu to the Nyangumarta people, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the north of Western Australia. It is a slender, erect shrub or small tree with smooth to fissured and fibrous, grey-brown bark, linear, leathery phyllodes, spikes of yellow flowers, and thinly woody pods somewhat resembling a string of beads.
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 are eaten, the gum is eaten as a protein-rich food (recorded at 42% protein content), and the tree often hosts edible grubs.
Traditional Uses
The seed are eaten. The tree often has edible grubs. The gum is high in protein and is eaten. The protein content of the gum is recorded as being 42%.
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 tropical plant. They grow in red sand. It grows in the Great Sandy Desert in NW Australia. It can grow in arid places.
Where It Grows
Africa, Australia*, Niger, Sahel, Senegal, West Africa,
Cultivation
Acacia eriopoda is a plant of the arid to semi-arid, subtropical to tropical region of northwestern Australia, where it can be found at elevations up to 600 metres. The hot summers can see temperatures exceed 40°c, rarely falling lower than 7°c in the cool season, with very occasional, very light frosts at higher elevations. Rainfall is generally within the range 230 - 755mm, mainly falling in the summer. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. The plant is found mainly on freely draining infertile sands and loams, mostly neutral to slightly alkaline with a recorded pH range of 5.5 - 8.5. The plant has a strong coppicing ability and also produces suckers. Putative hybrids occur in the wild with Acacia tumida and Acacia trachycarpa. 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
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.
Other Uses
The stems were used traditionally to make spears. The wood from larger specimens may provide small posts or be turned into small decorative items. The dense wood (900 kg/m3) should make an excellent fuel, and may be suitable for conversion to charcoal. The plant's multi-stemmed bushy habit makes it suitable to provide low shelter and for sand stabilisation.
Production
Trees flower April to July and form pods from September to October.
Notes
There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae.
Also Known As
Irgul
References (8)
- 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
- 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 148
- J. &. Proc. Roy. Soc. Western Australia 13:27. 1928
- Kenneally, K.E., Edinger, D. C., and Willing T., 1996, Broome and Beyond, Plants and People of the Dampier Peninsula, Kimberley, Western Australia. Department of Conservation and Land Management. p 130
- Paczkowska, G . & Chapman, A.R., 2000, The Western Australian Flora. A Descriptive Catalogue. Western Australian Herbarium. p 307
Show all 8 references Hide references
- Petheram, R.J. and Kok, B., 2003, Plants of the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. UWA Press p 361
- Wehmeyer, A. S, 1986, Edible Wild Plants of Southern Africa. Data on the Nutrient Contents of over 300 species
- Wheeler, J.R.(ed.), 1992, Flora of the Kimberley Region. CALM, Western Australian Herbarium, p 302
