Acacia elata A.Cunn. ex Benth.

Tree usually 7–20 m high; trunk d.b.h. to 0.6 m. Bark rough at base, grey to blackish. Branchlets ± terete or slightly flattened, faintly ridged, golden-puberulous when young, later white-or grey-puberulous. Young foliage-tips golden or cream-coloured, silky-hairy and with dark glandular hairs. Leaves dark green, much paler beneath; pulvinus swollen; petiole 2.5–7.5 (–9) cm long, terete, with 1 prominent dark brown gland ¼–⅔ below basal pinnae; rachis (3–) 8–17 (–22) cm long, eglandular or sometimes 1 gland at base of uppermost pair of pinnae; pinnae 2–7 pairs, (7–) 10–23 cm long, with a gland often at base of upper 1–5 or more pairs of pinnules; pinnules 8–22 pairs, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, often curved, (10–) 20–60 mm long, (3–) 5–13 mm wide (lower ones shorter than others), glabrous or with sparse appressed hairs above, with ± moderately dense white or yellow appressed hairs beneath, with ± central midvein and 1 or sometimes 2 secondary vein(s) from base not reaching the margins and sometimes minor lateral veins, acutely acuminate. Inflorescences in axillary or terminal false-panicles; peduncles (2–) 3–12 (–16) mm long, yellow-hairy. Heads globular, 30–55-flowered, pale yellow or cream-coloured. Pods straight-sided or slightly indented between seeds, ± flat, 4–17.5 cm long, 9–15 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to coriaceous, dark brown to grey, densely greenish yellow-puberulous, later ± glabrous; margin prominent.

Along the sides of rivers and in ravines. Rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest in various situations on the escarpment ranges. Tall open forest and rainforest, often along streams, in deep sandy soils.

Acacia elata is fast growing, long-lived and suitable for cultivation as an ornamental in parks and large gardens, or as windbreaks, being one of the tallest species in Acacia sect. Botrycephalae. It has also been used for fuelwood and producing dyes, with potential uses of its timber for carpentry and turning and its bark for tannin. Details on the utilisation of Acacia elata are given in J.C. Doran et al., in J.C. Doran & J.W. Turnbull (eds), Australian Trees and Shrubs: Species for Land Rehabilitation and Farm Planting in the Tropics 146–147 (1997) and D.J. Boland et al., Forest Trees of Australia 5th edn, 154–155 (2006).

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.