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Useful Temperate Plants

Acacia lasiocalyx

C.R.P.Andrews

Fabaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Acacia lasiocalyx is a shrub growing 2 - 3 metres tall, sometimes becoming an erect tree with a spreading, open crown and able to grow up to 10 metres tall[
286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
]. Plants growing at the base of granite rocks often form dense colonies and attain an arborescent habit, the main trunk more erect and straight than those of plants occurring elsewhere[
286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
]. The bole of larger trees can be 30 - 50cm in diameter[
1301
Title
Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W.
Publisher
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A
Year
2004
ISBN
0642 58585 7
Description
 
]. Although it produces true leaves as a seedling, like most members of this section of the genus, the mature plant does not have true leaves but has leaf-like flattened stems called phyllodes[
286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
].
The plant is little known in cultivation, but is said to have reasonably good prospects for development as a crop plant for high volume wood production[
1301
Title
Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W.
Publisher
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A
Year
2004
ISBN
0642 58585 7
Description
 
].

Known Hazards

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.

Botanical References

286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.

Range

Australia - southwestern Western Australia

Habitat

Mallee woodland, mallee heath and open heath, growing in sand, gravelly sand, loamy sand, clayey sand and loam, commonly on slopes of granitic hills, granite outcrops and around such granitic sites, but also on sandplains and on laterite[
286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitTree
Height5.00 m
Growth RateMedium
PollinatorsInsects
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Acacia lasiocalyx is native to the arid and semi-arid regions of southwestern Australia, where it can be found at elevations up to 470 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean maximum temperature of the hottest months can reach 26 - 35°c, and the mean minimum in the coldest month can fall to 4 - 9°c. The plant can experience moderate frosts, down to around -5°c for short periods. Mean annual rainfall can vary from 250 - 550mm, with a variable dry season that can range from 6 - 12 months[
1301
Title
Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W.
Publisher
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A
Year
2004
ISBN
0642 58585 7
Description
 
].
Requires a sunny position.
A moderately fast growing tree which has a life-span of perhaps 20 - 40 years[
1301
Title
Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W.
Publisher
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A
Year
2004
ISBN
0642 58585 7
Description
 
].
The tree is unlikely to sucker; it’s coppicing/pollarding ability is unknown but is probably unlikely[
1301
Title
Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W.
Publisher
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A
Year
2004
ISBN
0642 58585 7
Description
 
].
Acacia lasiocalyx is a decorative, long-lived small tree useful for providing shade in amenity plantings[
1297
Title
Wattles of the Kalannie region: their identification, characteristics and utilisation
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R.
Website
http://worldwidewattle.com/
Publisher
 
Year
1998
ISBN
 
Description
Produced on a CDROM, a database of Acacias growing in a region of Western Australia. Fact sheets for individual species can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
755
Title
Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en
Publisher
United States Department of Agriculture
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark of all Acacia species contains greater or lesser quantities of tannins and are astringent. Astringents are often used medicinally - taken internally, for example. they are used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, and can also be helpful in cases of internal bleeding. Applied externally, often as a wash, they are used to treat wounds and other skin problems, haemorrhoids, perspiring feet, some eye problems, as a mouth wash etc[
601
Title
The Useful Native Plants of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Maiden J.H.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Turner & Co.; London.
Year
1889
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
,
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Many Acacia trees also yield greater or lesser quantities of a gum from the trunk and stems. This is sometimes taken internally in the treatment of diarrhoea and haemorrhoids[
601
Title
The Useful Native Plants of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Maiden J.H.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Turner & Co.; London.
Year
1889
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Agroforestry Uses:

The species is worth investigating for use in shelterbelt planting. Its growth form is suited to providing windbreaks and visual screens, as well as shade and shelter for both stock and wildlife[
1297
Title
Wattles of the Kalannie region: their identification, characteristics and utilisation
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R.
Website
http://worldwidewattle.com/
Publisher
 
Year
1998
ISBN
 
Description
Produced on a CDROM, a database of Acacias growing in a region of Western Australia. Fact sheets for individual species can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Other Uses

The heartwood is yellowish or pale brown. It is moderately dense[
1301
Title
Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia
Publication
 
Author
Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W.
Publisher
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A
Year
2004
ISBN
0642 58585 7
Description
 
].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
].The dried 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. Sow the seed in Spring in a greenhouse. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors.
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[
1294
Title
Potential of Australian Acacias in combating hunger in semi-arid lands
Publication
Conservation Science W. Aust. 4 (3):161-169 (2002)
Author
Rinaudo A.; Patel P.; Thomson L.A.J.
Publisher
 
Year
2002
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Cuttings
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-10-08. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Acacia+lasiocalyx>

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