Acacia iteaphylla seed
LATIN NAME: ACACIA ITEAPHYLLA
COMMON NAME: Willow-leaved Wattle
In the dry scrub of south-eastern Australia, the willow-leaved wattle grows as a quick, airy, evergreen shrub with the long, narrow, willow-like leaf phyllodes hanging from the slender branches and the crowded, rounded, golden-yellow flower heads that smother the bush in the early spring. The herb steadily grows into a rounded crown, with a mature height of 5-10 metres. Plant it in full sun with deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The willow-leaved wattle comes up in the studies of the Australian wattles, its willow-like phyllodes and its golden flower heads keeping it in view in the work on the drought-hardy shrubs of the southern scrub and the nitrogen-fixing trees of the dry garden. The research looks at the way the narrow phyllodes hold the leaf”s work, the golden balls open in their season, and the seed biology of the hard, glossy seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the dry garden, the willow-leaved wattle pours the golden flower heads over the silvery foliage in the early spring and feeds the bees when little else is in flower. The airy bush gives the light screen and the soil-fixing roots, and the shrub makes the fine specimen, the dryland shrub and the early-season pollinator plant. It is a shrub for the open, sunny, dry and well-drained place.
To grow the Willow-leaved Wattle from seed, tip the hard seeds into boiling water and leave them to cool, then sow them.
Tip the hard seeds into boiling water and leave them to cool, then sow them, and keep the young wattles in the open, sunny spot. in pots of sandy compost, keep them lightly watered, and the young wattles come up in the full sun. The golden heads open with the early spring.
LATIN NAME: Acacia iteaphylla
COMMON NAME: Flinders Range Wattle, Willow-leaved Wattle, Winter Wattle
The willow-leaved wattle is a soft and graceful shrub of the Australian bush, and its clouds of golden blossom are a winter delight. Growth leads to a rosette of leaves, to fifty centimetres. It is a tough and handsome shrub of the Australian outback, and it has become a popular garden plant, valued for its winter bloom and its graceful form.
The willow-leaved wattle belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae, and it is endemic to South Australia, where it grows in the Flinders Ranges. It has become naturalised outside its natural range, and it is grown in gardens for its winter blossom and its graceful, willow-like foliage.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The willow-leaved wattle has a genuine and growing place in both ecological and horticultural research. As a native of the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, it has been studied in ecology for its role in the dry Australian bush, and researchers have examined its growth, its flowering and its place in the landscape, while its spread outside its natural range has also been studied in research on environmental weeds. The plant has also been studied in horticulture for its value as a garden shrub, prized for its winter bloom and its graceful, weeping form, and it is grown in gardens in suitable climates, while its winter flowering has made it a valuable plant for bees and other early pollinators. The genus Acacia, one of the largest genera of the pea family, is also of broad interest in plant science, and its relationships have been studied by botanists. For a shrub of such golden charm, the willow-leaved wattle has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the willow-leaved wattle is a generous shrub of the Australian bush. Its golden flowers feed bees and other pollinators through the winter, when little else is in bloom, its seeds feed birds, and its graceful, spreading growth gives shelter for wildlife in the dry landscape.
Its economic value lies mainly in horticulture. It is a popular garden shrub, prized for its abundant winter bloom and its graceful, willow-like form, and it is also valuable as a winter nectar plant for bees, while the wattles as a whole are among the most important and beloved shrubs of the Australian flora. For a grower, the willow-leaved wattle is an easy and rewarding shrub, and for a gardener it brings a cloud of golden blossom to brighten the winter garden. The seeds are easy — soak them overnight in warm water, then sow them in warm, free-draining compost, keep them lightly watered in a sunny spot, and theyll sprout within a couple of weeks, growing on quickly into a graceful shrub that will bloom its heart out in winter.
Acacia iteaphylla Bushy weeping shrub 2.0 – 2.5m
Growth rate medium to fast
Use for screen, windbreak and specimen
Any soil
Full sun
Very frost hardy
Very drought resistant
Very wind firm
Flowers mid to late winter
TIp prune only
Bird attracting
Blue/green foliage