Acacia dealbata seed
LATIN NAME: ACACIA DEALBATA
COMMON NAME: Silver Wattle, Blue Wattle, Mimosa
The silver wattle is the flower of the Australian winter, and its golden bloom is a symbol of the change of season. It grows as a bushy shrub or spreading tree, reaching ten metres or more, with smooth, grey-blue bark and feathery, silvery-grey, bipinnate leaves that are soft and graceful. In the late winter and the early spring, it covers itself in masses of round, fluffy, bright yellow flower heads, so dense that the whole tree seems to glow, and the flowers have a sweet, honey-like scent, while it is one of the most spectacular of the wattles, and in Europe it is known as the mimosa, a beloved harbinger of the spring.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The silver wattle has a genuine and growing record in both ecological and industrial research. In Australia, it has been studied in ecology for its role in the open forest and the woodland, its nitrogen-fixing roots and its value in the land restoration, and in Europe, where it is known as the mimosa, it is one of the most beloved flowering trees, studied in the horticulture for its cultivation and its spectacular bloom. The tree has also been studied in the forestry and the industry, since its wood is valuable for the pulp, the paper and the small timber, and its bark contains the tannins used in the tanning. In the regions where it has become invasive, its spread has also been studied, making it a subject in the invasion ecology, and it is best checked against the local status before planting in the warmer gardens. For a tree of such beauty and such wide use, the silver wattle has a rich and varied record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Silver Wattle from seed, ecologically, the silver wattle is a generous tree. Its golden flowers feed the bees and the other pollinators at the end of the winter, its seeds feed the birds, and its nitrogen-fixing roots enrich the soil where it grows, helping to restore the degraded land. Its economic value is considerable: the wood is used for the pulp, the paper, the furniture and the small timber, the bark supplies the tannins for the tanning, and the tree is one of the most beloved winter-flowering ornamentals in Europe, where it is grown for the cut flowers as the mimosa. To raise the silver wattle, pour freshly boiled water over the seeds and let them stand until the water cools, then sow them in pots of free-draining compost about a centimetre deep, keep them lightly watered in a bright spot, and grow the little trees on in the sun.
pour freshly boiled water over the seeds and let them stand until the water cools, then sow the young wattles in pots of free-draining compost about a centimetre deep, keep them lightly watered in a bright spot, and grow the little trees on in the sun.
LATIN NAME: Acacia dealbata
COMMON NAME: Silver Wattle, Blue Wattle, Mimosa
The silver wattle is the flower of the Australian winter, and its golden bloom is a symbol of the change of season. It grows as a bushy shrub or spreading tree, reaching ten metres or more, with smooth, grey-blue bark and feathery, silvery-grey, bipinnate leaves that are soft and graceful. In late winter and early spring, it covers itself in masses of round, fluffy, bright yellow flower heads, so dense that the whole tree seems to glow, and the flowers have a sweet, honey-like scent. It is one of the most spectacular of the wattles, and in Europe it is known as mimosa, a beloved harbinger of spring.
The silver wattle belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae, and it is endemic to southeastern Australia, where it grows in open forest and woodland. It has been carried around the world as an ornamental, and in some regions it has become invasive.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing a silver wattle from seed is easy and gives fast, satisfying results. The seeds sit inside the straight or slightly curved pods, and they have a very hard coat, so the key step is to pour boiling water over them and leave them to soak overnight, or nick them gently with a file, before sowing. Sow them in pots of free-draining compost, about a centimetre deep, and keep them warm, bright and lightly moist. Germination usually begins within one to three weeks. Pot the seedlings on as they grow and plant them out in a sunny, sheltered, well-drained spot, protecting them from frost. A silver wattle you have raised from seed can flower within a couple of years, filling the garden with golden bloom.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The silver wattle has a genuine and growing record in both ecological and industrial research. In Australia, it has been studied in ecology for its role in open forest and woodland, its nitrogen-fixing roots and its value in land restoration, and in Europe, where it is known as mimosa, it is one of the most beloved flowering trees, studied in horticulture for its cultivation and its spectacular bloom. The tree has also been studied in forestry and industry, since its wood is valuable for pulp, paper and small timber, and its bark contains tannins used in tanning. In regions where it has become invasive, its spread has also been studied, making it a subject in invasion ecology. For a tree of such beauty and such wide use, the silver wattle has a rich and varied record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the silver wattle is a generous tree. Its golden flowers feed bees and other pollinators at the end of winter, its seeds feed birds, and its nitrogen-fixing roots enrich the soil where it grows, helping to restore degraded land.
Its economic value is considerable. The wood is used for pulp, paper, furniture and small timber, the bark supplies tannins for tanning, and the tree is one of the most beloved winter-flowering ornamentals in Europe, where it is grown for cut flowers as mimosa. For a grower, the silver wattle is a fast, useful and beautiful tree, and for a gardener it brings a blaze of golden bloom at the end of winter.
It is a fast growing evergreen tree or shrub growing up to 30 m tall, typically a pioneer species after fire. The leaves are bipinnate, glaucous blue-green to silvery grey, 1–12 cm (occasionally to 17 cm) long and 1–11 cm broad, with 6–30 pairs of pinnae, each pinna divided into 10–68 pairs of leaflets; the leaflets are 0.7–6 mm long and 0.4–1 mm broad. The flowers are produced in large racemose inflorescences made up of numerous smaller globose bright yellow flowerheads of 13–42 individual flowers. The fruit is a flattened pod 2–11.5 cm long and 6–14 mm broad, containing several seeds. Trees generally do not live longer than 30 to 40 years, after which in the wild they are succeeded by other species where bushfires are excluded. In moist mountain areas, a white lichen can almost cover the bark, which may contribute to the descriptor "silver". In pure stands this creates a similar effect to a birch woodland and can be quite striking when discovered on foot.