Acacia dealbata Link

Silver wattle (en), Mimosa argenté (fr), Mimosa des fleuristes (fr), Mimosa de Bormes (fr), Mimosa d'hiver (fr), Acacia argenté (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Acacia

Characteristics

Unarmed shrub or tree up to 15 m high with a conical or rounded crown; bark grey-brown to blackish, smooth or rough on very old trunks; young branchlets usually densely short-pubescent, rarely subglabrous, ± grey-pruinose, indumentum grey or sometimes yellowish at first and then grey. Leaves bipinnate, often glaucous; petiole 0.5-2 cm long, eglandular; rhachis 2.5-10 cm long, with a raised gland on its upper surface at the junction of each pair of pinnae, but without other glands in between the pinnae pairs as in A. mearnsii; pinnae (5)10-26 pairs; leaflets in 17-50 pairs, 2-5.5 x 0.4-0.7 mm, linear-oblong, sparingly to ± densely pubescent or glabrous beneath, margins with or without cilia. Inflorescences capitate, panicled or racemose. Flowers bright yellow; peduncles densely pubescent, up to 6 mm long. Calyx and corolla glabrous except for apices of the lobes. Pods 3-8 x 0.7-1.3 cm, not or only slightly moniliform, dehiscing longitudinally along one margin only, straight or slightly curved. Seeds brown to blackish-brown, 5-6 x 3-3.5 mm, elliptic, compressed, smooth; caruncle conspicuous; areole 3.5-1 x 0.75-1.5 mm.
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Bushy shrub or spreading tree to 30 m high. Bark smooth, grey, brown or dark brown, deeply corrugated when old. Branchlets slightly angular with ridges, densely puberulous, usually pruinose. Young foliage-tips white, cream-coloured to golden, velvety-tomentose. Leaves herbaceous, usually bluish grey or silvery and glaucous; petiole to 1.5 cm long, slightly ridged, with apical gland; rachis 1–12 (–17) cm long, with one orbicular light to dark brown tomentellose jugary gland at each pair of pinnae; interjugary glands absent; pinnae 6–30 pairs, 0.5–5.5 cm long; pinnules 10–68 pairs, narrowly oblong to linear, 0.7–6 mm long, 0.4–0.8 (–1) mm wide, ± glabrous or puberulous on upper surface, silvery-puberulous below, obtuse or truncate. Inflorescences in axillary racemes, or mostly terminal or axillary false-panicles; axes often zig-zagged. Peduncles 2–10 mm long, hairy. Heads globular, 13–42-flowered. Pods often slightly constricted between some or all seeds, 2–11.5 cm long, 6–14 mm wide, subcoriaceous, blue or purplish, pruinose.
Shrubs or trees, small, ca. 15 m tall, unarmed. Young branchlets slightly angular with ridges gray tomentose, glau­cous. Leaves argenteous to greenish or golden when not ex­tended; rachis not angulate; glands at rachis of pinna insertion; pinnae 10-20(-25); leaflets 26-46 pairs, dense, distance between leaflets not more than width of 1 leaflet, linear, 2.6-3.5 × 0.4-0.5 mm, abaxially or both surfaces gray-white pubescent. Heads 6-7 mm in diam., arranged in axillary racemes or pani­cles; peduncles ca. 3 mm. Flowers yellowish or orange-yellow. Legume red-brown or black, glaucous, oblong, flat, 3-8 cm × 7-12 mm, glabrous. Seeds elliptic, flat. Fl. Apr, fr. Jul-Aug. 2n = 26.
Tree or shrub, 5-15 m high, branchlets shallowly ridged, tinged grey or purple. Bark grey-brown to blackish, smooth, later rough. Branches hairy, yellowish when young, later grey. Leaves bipinnate, silvery-grey, glaucous, finely hairy, 20-50 mm long, rachis 25-100 mm long, pinnae 10-26 pairs, each with 17-50 leaflet pairs. Flowers globular heads in axillary racemes, bright yellow. Flowering time July, Aug. Pod brown, 30-80 x 7-13 mm, straight or slightly curved, dehiscent.
A tree. It grows 30 m tall. The bark is smooth and grey. The twigs and young leaves have silvery hairs. The leaves are twice divided. They are bluish-green. They have 8-10 pairs of primary divisions and then many small narrow leaflets. The flowers are bright yellow. They are in small 5-6 mm heads. These make up large panicles at the ends of branches. The pods are narrow and 40-100 mm long. They are flattened and brown with a bluish bloom.
Shrub or tree, up to 15 m high; with a rounded crown; unarmed. Leaves with leaf rachis with gland at junction of all or most pairs of pinnae but not between pinnae pairs; leaflets 1.55.5 mm long. Flowers: inflorescence capitate; corolla bright yellow; Jul.-May. Pods not or slightly moniliform, dehiscing longitudinally along one margin only.
Unarmed, evergreen tree, 5-15 m, branches with velvety-hairy growth tips, initially yellow, turning greyish or white. Leaves bipinnate, silvery grey, finely hairy. Flowers in globose heads, pale to bright yellow. Pods greyish or purplish brown, slightly constricted between seeds.
Leaves: petiole (0.5)1-2 cm. long, eglandular; rhachis 2.5-9.5 cm. long, with a raised gland above at the junction of each pair of pinnae, but without other glands in between as in A. mearnsii; pinnae (5)12-26 pairs; leaflets in 17-50 pairs, 2.5-5.5 x 0.4-0.7 mm., linear-oblong.
Unarmed shrub or tree, up to 15 m high. Leaf rhachis with gland at junction of all or most pairs of pinnae but not between pinnae pairs; leaflets 1.5-5.5 mm long. Pods not or slightly moniliform. Flowers bright yellow.
Shrub or small tree 2.5-10 m. high, rarely more; young branchlets usually densely short-pubescent, rarely subglabrous, and also ± grey-pruinose; pubescence grey, or yellowish at first then grey.
Leaf-rachis internodes eglandular; leaflets (2-)2.6-3.5 mm, apex often subacute. Pod 7-9(-12) mm wide, glabrous, usually glaucous
Flowers bright-yellow, in heads 4-7 mm. in diam. on peduncles up to 6 mm. long, panicled or racemose.
Seeds brown to blackish-brown, 5-6 x 3-3.5 mm.; caruncle conspicuous; areole 3.5-4 x 0.75-1.5 mm.
Pods dehiscent along one margin, 3-8 x 0.7-1.3 cm., not or only slightly moniliform.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 2.5 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 15.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.5
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Grows mostly in open or tall open forest or woodland, at high elevations on plateaux and in deep mountain valleys and gullies, often in low vegetation in subalpine areas, on swamp margins and stream banks. Dry forests.
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Grows mostly in open or tall open forest or woodland, at high altitudes often in low vegetation in subalpine areas, and in deep gullies and on swamp margins.
It is a temperate plant. It can grow on stony soils and creekbanks. Tasmania Herbarium. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 4-8
Soil texture 3-6
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

Widely cultivated. The registered cultivar, ‘Kambah Karpet’ is recognised for this species, fide M. Hitchcock, Australian Plants 22: 325 (2004), for description; another cultivar, ‘Silver Falls’, is also recognised, see E. Brueggemeier, Australian Plants 25: 261 (2010), for description and photograph.
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The flowers are the source of mimosa absolute used to flavour baked goods, drinks, dairy foods and puddings. It is also the source of gum arabic. The gum was dissolved in water to make a sweet drink.
Uses afforestation bee plant dye environmental use essential oil experimental purposes food fuel fuelwood gene source gum invertebrate food material medicinal ornamental tanning windbreak wood
Edible flowers gums
Therapeutic use Antineoplastic agents (bark), Dysentery (bark), Antineoplastic agents (leaf), Astringents (plant exudate)
Human toxicity strong toxic (seed), strong toxic (leaf), strong toxic (bark)
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from treated seed.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 21
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 26
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 15 - 26
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Acacia dealbata habit picture by García Faustino (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata habit picture by Alain Bigou (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata habit picture by llinares J (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Acacia dealbata leaf picture by Yannis croquet (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata leaf picture by nobre jose (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata leaf picture by Denis Alkan (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Acacia dealbata flower picture by Besga Marcos (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata flower picture by Denis Alkan (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata flower picture by Joël Macé (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Acacia dealbata fruit picture by de Paz Flora (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata fruit picture by Auror Floréal (cc-by-sa)
Acacia dealbata fruit picture by Matthieu C (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Acacia dealbata world distribution map, present in Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Italy, Sri Lanka, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Serbia, Taiwan, Province of China, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, United States of America, Viet Nam, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Conservation status

Acacia dealbata threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:470130-1
WFO ID wfo-0000192338
COL ID 8P4G
BDTFX ID 96
INPN ID 79691
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Acacia derwentii Acacia affinis Racosperma dealbatum Acacia puberula Acacia decurrens var. dealbata Acacia dealbata subsp. dealbata Acacia decurrens var. dealbata Mimosa dealbata Acacia dealbata var. mackayana Acacia decurrens var. mollissima Acacia dealbata

Lower taxons

Acacia dealbata subsp. subalpina