ACACIAS IN FRED CATERSON RESERVE
by Jennifer Farrer
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There are 954 species of Acacia in Australia. They can be found in every state and in latitudes from the tropics to alpine areas, in deserts and forests. The green and gold colours of the wattle have been adopted as Australia’s colours in international sporting competitions.
In Australia we call plants in the Acacia genus Wattles. This is because early colonists used the flexible stems of wattles to weave the frames for their wattle and daub huts. Wattle is an old English word meaning to weave in and out.
Australians associate the flowering of the wattles with the coming of Spring. Many wattle species do flower in the late winter and early spring but there is in fact a wattle flowering at any time during the year.
Wattles are legumes like peas and beans. Like the legumes we grow in our vegetable gardens, wattles have the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil. They are often the first plants to germinate and grow in areas where the soil has been disturbed or after bush fires. This year there are many young wattles flowering in areas which were devastated in the 2019-20 bushfires.
There are 16 species of wattle growing in Fred Caterson Reserve. Five of them are trees.
Acacia binervia (The Coast Myall) These trees have golden rod-shaped flowers. There is a lovely stand beside Field No 4. They flower from September to October. Beekeepers love this wattle.
Acacia binervia
2. Acacia decurrens (Sydney Green Wattle) This wattle can be identified by its ferny leaves. The seeds were eaten by the local Aborigines, the Darug people. Pigeons and doves also love the seeds. It flowers from July to September and is very widespread throughout the reserve
3. Acacia implexa (Hickory Wattle) The botanical name for this wattle means twisted and refers to the twisted seeds. It flowers from January to March. It can be seen below the BMX Track.
Acacia implexa
4. Acacia parramattensis. This wattle also has ferny leaves and looks very similar to the Green Wattle. The easiest way to tell the two species apart is when they flower. The Parramatta Wattle flowers from October to February.
Acacia parramattensis
5. Acacia parvipinnula (Silver Stemmed Wattle) Another wattle with fern like leaves. This small tree flowers between September and December.
The remaining wattles are all small shrubs growing between and underneath larger trees.
6. Acacia brownii (Golden Prickly Wattle) A plant with deep golden ball shaped flowers with very prickly short phyllodes (modified leaves). It flowers from July to September.
Acacia brownii
7. Acacia falcata (Sickle Wattle) The name comes from the sickle shaped leaves. They can be seen on the South side of Field No 1. It flowers from April to July. Aboriginal people made a liniment from the bark to treat skin ailments.
8. Acacia floribunda (Sally Wattle) This wattle is well named. Floribunda means abundant flowers and often this small tree has so many flowers between August and September that the leaves are obscured. There is a very large one growing beside Field No 4.
9. Acacia linifolia (Flax Wattle) A very graceful shrub with fine leaves and delicate flowers. It flowers from January to May. It is one of the first Australian plants to be introduced into England and was recorded growing in a London nursery in 1810.
10. Acacia longifolia (Sydney Golden Wattle). This is a very common plant in the reserve. It flowers from June to October. When it flowered the Darug people knew to start looking for mullet in the creeks.
Acacia longifolia
11. Acacia lunata (Lunate Leaved Wattle). The name comes from the leaves which look a little like half moons. It flowers from August to September.
12. Acacia myrtifolia (Myrtle Wattle) This small plant is very attractive with its yellow fluffy balls and red stemmed leaves. It flowers from May to September
13. Acacia pubescens (Downy Wattle). This wattle has dense hairs on the flower stalks and branchlets, hence its name. It used to be a common plant on the Cumberland Plain but its habitat has been reduced by land clearing and weed invasion. It is now classed as vulnerable so its presence in the Reserve is very special.
Acacia pubescens
14. Acacia suavolens (Sweet Scented Wattle). The flowers of this wattle are indeed sweet scented. Another distinctive feature is the large flat seed pods which look like large snow peas. It flowers from March to August.
15. Acacia terminalis (Sunshine Wattle) The pale lemon flowers appear on this attractive shrub in March when there is little else flowering in the bush.
Acacia terminalis
16. Acacia ulicifolia (Prickly Moses). This is a very prickly plant with leaves which have modified into short phyllodes. There is nothing biblical about this wattle. Moses is a corruption of Mimosa. It flowers from May to October.
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