Prickly Moses
Acacia verticillata
Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae
What it is like
Acacia verticillata is an evergreen Shrub growing to 6 m (19ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. 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): 6
Where it is found
Widespread in saline and submontane tracts.
Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Flowers - cooked. Rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 3
A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers. A green dye is obtained from the seed pods. Plants are heavily armed with thorns and make a good screen or hedge in warm temperate areas.
Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.
Hedge: Hedge
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position. Another report says that it needs some shade. 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. Trees are not very hardy outdoors in Britain, they tolerate occasional temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c, but even in the mildest areas of the country they are likely to be killed in excessively harsh winters. A tree in Cornwall reached a height and width of 6 metres. A fast-growing tree, frequently flowering in a few years from seed. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus. 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; Hedge; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 7-10
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist