Coastal Wattle, Acacia
Acacia sophorae
Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae
What it is like
Acacia sophorae is an evergreen Shrub. It is in leaf all year, in flower from February to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0
Where it is found
Coastal dunes.
Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria..
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Seed - cooked. The taste is rather like green peas. Used when green and roasted in the pods, though the pods should not be eaten as these are irritating. Acacia seeds are highly nutritious and contain approx 26% protein, 26% available carbohydrate, 32% fibre and 9% fat. The fat content is higher than most legumes with the aril providing the bulk of fatty acids present. These fatty acids are largely unsaturated which is a distinct health advantage although it presents storage problems as such fats readily oxidise. The mean total carbohydrate content of 55.8 + 13.7% is lower than that of lentils, but higher than that of soybeans while the mean fibre content of 32.3 + 14.3% is higher than that of other legumes such as lentils with a level of 11.7%. The energy content is high in all species tested, averaging 1480+270 kJ per 100g. Wattle seeds are low glycaemic index foods. The starch is digested and absorbed very slowly, producing a small, but sustained rise in blood glucose and so delaying the onset of exhaustion in prolonged exercise. Flowers - cooked. Rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 3
A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers. A green dye is obtained from the seed pods. The extensive root system of this plant helps to prevent soil erosion.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position. Succeeds in dry soils. Succeeds in any good garden soil that is not excessively limey. Most members of this genus become chlorotic on limey soils. Judging by the plants native habitat, it should tolerate maritime exposure. Trees are not very hardy outdoors in Britain, even in the mildest areas of the country they are likely to be killed in excessively harsh winters. 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.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse. Stored seed should be scarified, pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water and then sown in a warm greenhouse in March. The seed germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 25°c. 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. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in individual pots in a frame. Overwinter in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Fair percentage.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist