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7. Acacia saligna
Botanical Name Acacia saligna (Labill.) H. Wendl.
Synonym Acacia cyanophylla Lindl.
Common Names orange wattle, golden-wreath wattle, willow wattle, blueleaf
wattle, weeping wattle, western Australian wattle (Australia); Port-
Jackson willow (South Africa).
Legume Family, Leguminosae (Mimosoideae)
This bushy shrub or small tree of southwestern Australia has very narrow
phyllodes, tiny bright yellow flowers in balls, and very narrow, flattened,
straight pods slightly narrowed between seeds. It is so variable that it now
comprises two formerly separate species. Vegetation types of this species include
open dry evergreen forest, temperate woodland, and semiarid
woodland.
Several horticultural forms are distinguished, for example, with drooping
branches, upright flower clusters, and phyllodes to 30 cm long. The specific
name, meaning "willowlike," describes the phyllodes.
Extremely rugged and drought-hardj', Acacia saligna is planted for reclaiming
lands as well as for fuel. This fueiwood species grows in arid and
semiarid regions.
Description Dense bushy shrub 2-5 m high, also a small tree of 5-10 m
with short single trunk to 30 cm in diameter or dividing near base into a few
main branches with widespreading crown, evergreen (?). Bark dark gray or
brown, rough, furrowed; on branches and young plants smooth and gray to
red-brown. Twigs slender, finely angled, green, hairless, often drooping, often
flattened and whitish when young.
Leaves alternate, simple flattened phyllodes (modified leafstalks) varying
from very narrow (linear) to lance-shaped, about 10 times as long as wide,
mostly 8.25 cm long and 0.5-2 cm wide (toward base of plant often as large as
20-32 cm long and 4-8 cm wide), straight or slightly curved to side, longpointed
and tapering at both ends, like ribbons, hairless, often drooping, dull
blue-green to whitish, with prominent midvein and many fine side veins.
Large dotlike gland 1-2 mm or more in diameter at base of upper edge of
phyllode.
Flowerclusters (hea ls) like balls, mostly 2-10 (sometimes 1), on stalks along
axis (raceme) to 8 cm lcng at base of leaf, round, bright yellow or deep golden,
7-10 mm in diameter, , Ith many (25-55) crowded tiny flowers, abundant and
showy. Flowers stalkless 3-4 mm long, mostly hairless, composed of calyx 1.5
mm long with conical tue and 5 short rounded lobes often finely hairy on
edge, corolla of 5 narrow long-pointed petals 2-3 mm long, united near base,
many threadlike stamens, and pistil with hairless ovary and slender style.
Pods (legumes) very narrow (linear), mostly 8-12 cm long and 4-6 mm wide,
straight, flattened, with edges slightly thickened, slightly narrowed between
ACACIA SALIGNA
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