Acacia victoriae Benth.

Shrub or tree 2–5 m high, sometimes to 9 m. Branchlets often pruinose, glabrous, sometimes hairy. Stipules spinose, commonly only bases persisting at mature nodes, 2–12 mm long. Phyllodes variable, linear to narrowly oblong, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, straight or incurved, (1.4–) 2–5 (–10) cm long, 2–8 mm wide, l: w = 2–13 (–25), green to grey-green or glaucous, usually glabrous; midrib prominent; lateral veins usually obscure; gland ± basal, obscure or prominent. Inflorescences normally racemose but peduncles sometimes subtended by a secondary phyllode; raceme axes 1–10 cm long, slender; peduncles mostly twinned, 6–18 mm long, slender, glabrous, sometimes hairy; heads prolific, globular, 15–30-flowered, creamy white to pale lemon-yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, narrowly spathulate. Pods narrowly oblong, to 8 cm long, 9–16 mm wide, chartaceous, glabrous. Seeds transverse, ± globose, 4–6 mm long, brown, mottled blackish; funicle short, thick, scarcely arillate.

A native plant of Australia. It prefers medium to heavy soils. It can grown in limestone and salty areas. It suits an open sunny position but can grow in part shade. It is drought and frost resistant. It suits arid areas but will grow in cooler moist climates. It occurs as far north as 17° S latitude. It occurs in areas with a rainfall from 130 to 250 mm per year but also in areas with 2,000 mm rainfall. Young plants can survive fires. Roots can extend deeply (27 m) into the soil and this plant often indicates underground water. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 8-11.

This species is of moderate nutritive value and a useful stock food supplement during droughts. It is also useful as a low windbreak and for soil stabilisation in dry country, especially as it can readily regenerate from suckers and sometimes forms thickets. Numbers may increase markedly during a succession of wet seasons and can become a nuisance, especially around watering points. The utilisation and ecology of the species are discussed in G.M. Cunningham et al., Plants of Western New South Wales 375 (1981), J.W. Turnbull (ed.), Multipurpose Australian Trees and Shrubs 210–213 (1986) and D.J. Boland et al., Forest Trees of Australia 5th edn, 188–189 (2006). The foliage and range condition indicator values of A. victoriae are discussed by A.A. Mitchell & D.G. Wilcox, Arid Shrubland Plants of Western Australia 290 (1988). Further information on the biological and ecological features, and the utilisation potential, of this species is given in B.R. Maslin & M.W. McDonald, AcaciaSearch: Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for southern Australia, RIRDC Publication No. 30/017, 222–226 (2004). Acacia victoriae is commonly used as human food (wattle seed) in the Australian bushfood or bush tucker industry; a diversity of uses in baking, etc. The flour has been incorporated into bread, damper, biscuits and pasta, and processed seeds have been incorporated into products such as dessert cones, mousses, pancakes, ice cream and hot beverages; see B.R. Maslin et al., Edible Wattle Seeds of Southern Australia (1998) and references therein. Roasted ground wattle seed, with its nutty flavour, is added to desserts, chocolate and coffee, as well as being used for thickening sauces and casseroles. Acacia victoriae contains compounds called avicins, which may have medicinal uses (Hanausek et al. 2001a & b, Haridas et al. 2001). Acacia victoriae features on the $10 Australian banknote released on 20 September 2017, as part of the Next Generation of Banknotes featuring Australian native wattles and birds.

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. It forms root suckers easily.