Acacia decurrens

Acacia decurrens (Acacia bark, Early black wattle, Green wattle, Sydney wattle, Wattle bark) is a perennial tree or shrub native to the Greater Blue Mountains Area, which is a World Heritage Site in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is also found in Africa, the Americas, Europe, New Zealand & the Pacific, the Indian Ocean area, and Japan. It grows to a height of 2-10m and it flowers from July to September.^[2]

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Uses

Uses for it include chemical products, environmental management and wood.^[1] The flowers are edible and are used in fritters. An edible gum oozes out of the tree's trunk and it can be used as a lesser-quality substitute for Gum Arabic, for example in the production of fruit jelly. The tree's bark has astringent properties, but it has to be stored for a year before it can be made use of. It is used as an anti-diarrheal medicine. The bark contains about 37-40% tannin. The flowers are used to produce yellow dye and the seed pods are used to produce green dye.^[3] An organic chemical compound called Kaempferol is what gives the flowers of Acacia decurrens their color.^[4]

Cultivation

Cultivation of Acacia decurrens can be started by soaking its seeds in warm water and sowing them outdoors. The seeds keep their ability to germinate for many years.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} ILDIS
2. ^ FloraBase
3. ^ Plants for a Future Database
4. ^ Lycaeum -- Phytochemistry Intro
5. ^ Google Books Select Extra-tropical Plants Readily Eligible for Industrial Culture Or Naturalization By Ferdinand von Mueller