Acacia ligulata

Acacia ligulata is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is a dense, rounded shrub with bright yellow flower heads and is widespread in all states of mainland Australia. Its common names include sandhill wattle, umbrella bush, marpoo, dune wattle, small coobah, wirra, and watarrka (also spelt watarka).

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 ground into flour and eaten. The white gum is eaten. The plant often hosts edible grubs in the roots.

Traditional Uses

The seeds are ground into flour then eaten. It often has an edible grub in the roots. The white gum is eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

A. ligulata is used as a hedge and windbreak, to stabilise sandy areas, for revegetation and erosion control, also in areas with salinity or alkaline conditions. It can be grown from cuttings and has been used as emergency stock fodder. Indigenous Australians have used the plant by mixing its ashes with the dried and powdered leaves of Duboisia hopwoodii to prepare a stimulant chewing mixture (pituri) for trading. Gum produced by this species was used for consumption, and the seeds were roasted and ground to make damper. Leaves and bark were used for medicinal purposes, to treat colds, chest infections, and general illnesses.

Known Hazards

The seed of many Acacia species, including this one, is edible and highly nutritious, and can be eaten safely as a fairly major part of the diet. Not all species are edible, however, and some can contain moderate levels of toxins. Especially when harvesting from the wild, especial care should be taken to ensure correct identification of any plants harvested for food. 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 native to inland Australia. It occurs on dry alkaline soil or coastal sand dunes. It prefers open sunny positions. It is resistant to drought and frost. Fire stimulates the germination of seedlings. It grows in areas with annual rainfalls between 120-1,200 mm. It can grow in arid places. In the Inland Botanical Gardens Mildura.

Where It Grows

Africa, Australia, Israel, Libya, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, Tunisia,

Cultivation

It is grown from seed. Seed needs treatment to break the hard seed coat. Normally this is by putting the seeds in very hot water and letting the water cool down overnight then planting the seeds immediately.

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 wood is of very small dimensions and is not known to be utilized. It can be highly suitable for small-sized fuelwood. The primary use of the species is for sand dune stabilisation, and for low windbreaks in arid areas. Acacia ligulata is an excellent plant for revegetation work in arid lands and although it is not common in the Kalannie region it warrants investigation for use in revegetating areas of slight to moderate salinity. This species would be suitable for salinity and erosion control on colluvial earth soils and would be appropriate as a low windbreak.

Production

The flowers are produced in August to October and the pods from October to November. Flowering can also occur at other times of the year. This depends on rainfall.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Sandhill Wattle, Watarka

References (24)

• Bindon, P., 1996, Useful Bush Plants. Western Australian Museum. p 19
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 23
• Bonney, N., 1997, Economic Native Trees and Shrubs for South Australia. Greening Australia (SA) inc. Campbelltown SA 5074 p 8
• Bonney, N., 2012, Edible Wild Native Plants for Southern Australia. p 14
• Cancilla, D., 2018, Ethnobotanical and Ethnozoological Values Desktop Assessment - Eliwana Project. p 39

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