Acacia torulosa Benth.

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Acacia

Characteristics

An evergreen tree. It grows 4-9 m high and spreads 2-4 m across. The stem is erect and the bark rough and flaky. The tree has a somewhat open crown. The branches are angular. The young branches are yellowish. The leaves (phyllodes) are dark green. They are narrow and taper towards each end. They are fairly stiff, leathery and only very slightly curved. The tip is pointed. The leaves are 8-20 cm long by 0.4-1.4 cm wide and there are 3 prominent veins. The leaves occur one after the other on opposite sides of the stalk. The flower heads are bright yellow rods 3-6 cm long. They occur as many together in long spikes. The flower tassels may be 6-10 cm long and make an attractive showy plant. The pods are 8-20 cm long by 0.5-0.6 cm wide. They are wrinkled and tightly constricted between the seeds. They look like a string of beads. The pods are fairly straight and without hairs. They are a light brown colour when ripe. The black seeds are arranged lengthwise along the pod.
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Slightly resinous shrub or tree, 1.3–15 m high. Bark flaky when old. Branchlets angled towards apices, soon terete, glabrous. Phyllodes linear to very narrowly elliptic, 5–20 cm long, 4–18 mm wide, thinly to moderately coriaceous, yellowish green (at least when dry), scurfy when mature; veins 10–13 per mm, nonanastomosing, with prominent midvein and 1 or 2 semiprominent veins; gland 1, to 2 mm above pulvinus. Spikes 1–4 cm long. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.5–0.8 mm long, free almost to base, with hyaline hairs; corolla 0.8–1.3 mm long, dissected to ½, glabrous; ovary densely pubescent. Pods linear, strongly moniliform, convex over seeds, 6–20 cm long, (3–) 4–6.5 mm wide, longitudinally vein-ridged, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, ± elliptic, 4.4–6.5 mm long, dark brown; areole narrowly oblong, open, slightly raised within a central depression, often paler than rest of seed.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.0 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 3.65 - 10.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A native plant of northern Australia. It prefers light well drained deep soils. Often this is on sandstone soils on slopes or near creeks. It grows best in open sunny positions. It may be damaged by drought and frost. It needs extra watering to maintain a good leaf cover. It cannot tolerate wet and poorly drained soils.
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Found usually in alluvial sandy soil, close to streams, on rocky hillsides or near beaches, in eucalypt woodland or mixed shrubland; at elevations up to 350 metres.
Grows usually in alluvial sandy soil, close to streams, on rocky hillsides or near beaches, in eucalypt woodland or mixed shrubland.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The gum is eaten. The seeds when black and mature are crushed into flour and made into flat cakes for cooking. The young green fruit and seeds may be eaten raw.
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Promoted as an alternative crop in Africa, due to its growth and yield, nutritious seeds and ability to coppice for firewood production (Beasley 2009: 49).
Uses gum medicinal ornamental wood
Edible gums pods seeds
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It is grown from seed. The seed need treatment to break the hard seed coat. Normally this is by putting the seeds in very hot water and letting the water cool down overnight then planting the seeds immediately. Seed is produced in large amounts and seeds germinate quickly after treatment. Flowering is May to July and seed are available August to October. Plants do not transplant easily.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 21
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 26
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 22 - 36
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Acacia torulosa unspecified picture

Distribution

Acacia torulosa world distribution map, present in Australia and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Acacia torulosa threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:471665-1
WFO ID wfo-0000202617
COL ID 8Q77
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Acacia torulosa Racosperma torulosum