Acacia spectabilis

Acacia spectabilis - Mudgee Wattle

Family - Fabaceae (Mimosoideae)

Common name - Mudgee Wattle

Flowers and fruit - Many large bright yellow flower heads on raceme from leaf axil. Pods are straight or curved with irregular constrictions between seeds.  4 to 17cm long and 10 to 19mm wide. Flowers mainly between July and November.

Leaves and stems - Bipinnate leaves. Grey-green to glaucous (bluish), usually with one inconspicuous gland at or near the base of lowest pair of pinnae. Grey or whitish branches.

Habit and habitat - Erect or spreading shrub/tree to 4m high, or sometimes taller. Single-stemmed with smooth bark. Dry Eucalypt and Callitris woodland, sandy soils. Acacia spectabilis, as its name suggests, can look spectacular in flower.

Grey-green bipinnate leaves of Acacia spectabilis

Ripe seeds pods of Acacia spectabilis

White smooth bark of Acacia spectabilis

White/grey bark often has dark blotches

Acacia spectabilis makes a beautiful show in the bush

Acacia deanei ssp paucijuga

Acacia deanei subsp paucijuga

Family - Fabaceae (Mimosoideae)

Common name - Deans Wattle

Flowers and seed pods - Inflorenscences in terminal and axillary racemes, 15 to 30 flowered, about 5.5mm diameter, pale yellow to yellow. Pods are straight to curved, slightly to deeply and often irregularly constricted between seeds up to 18cm long and between 5.5 and 11mm wide. Flowering Sept/Oct. Acacia deanei subsp. paucijuga is a showier plant in flower than Acacia deanei subsp. deanei, but less free-flowering.

Leaves - Grey-green bipinnate leaves (central stem from which pairs of leaflets which are themselves divided into tiny leaf segments). One raised yellowish gland at the base of the bipinnate leaflet. Leaves are wider and more robust than Acacia deanei subsp. deanei, making the two subspecies easy to separate in the field.

Habit and habitat - A spreading to erect shrub from 1.5 to 7m high with smooth green or greyish branches. Grows on a variety of soil types in sclerophyll forests or open woodland.

Grey-green bipinnate foliage of A. deanei ssp paucijuga

Opened pods of Acacia deanei ssp paucijuga

Showy habit of Acacia deanei ssp paucijuga

Habitat of Acacia deanei ssp paucijuga in The Pilliga

Compare with Acacia deanei subsp. deanei here.

Acacia deanei subsp. deanei

Terminal or axillary racemes of pale yellow flowers

Family: Mimosoideae

Common name: Dean's Wattle

Flowers: Inflorescences are terminal or axillary racemes, cream to yellow, rarely more than 5.5mm diameter. The main flowering period is March to August, but can flower at any time of the year.

Leaves: Bipinnate (fern-like) leaves (up to about 3.5cm long) are made up of many small leaflets (pinnules) along a central stalk. Colour is pale grey-green. At the base of each pair of leaflets is a small gland.

Seed pods: Ripe seed pods are brown to dark brown, straight to slightly curved, with irregular constrictions between the shiny black seeds. There will often be countless split pods beneath trees.

Habit: Relatively drought and frost tolerant, Acacia deanei subsp. deanei thrives in dry conditions on a variety of soil types. It is fast growing and can become weedy, overtaking other vegetation. It is multi-stemmed from or near ground level and can grow to 5mts tall to form a neat compact bush or a spindly straggly shrub. Generally, it is not a particularly attractive acacia.

Habitat: Acacia deanei subsp. deanei is widespread in central NSW, extending to inland parts of southern Queensland on plains, slopes and tablelands. In the Pilliga it is common on roadsides and in woodlands.

Grey-green bipinnate leaves with tiny gland at base of each pair of leaflets

Flattened stems with alternate branchlets

Unripened seed pods, and ripe seed pod with seed

Spindly habit in woodland where shaded by taller trees

More information

Distinctive features of acacia

The Acacia Genus