Acacia kempeana

Acacia kempeana, commonly known as wanderrie wattle, witchetty bush or granite wattle, is a shrub in the family Fabaceae. Endemic to Australia, it is widely distributed through arid and semi-arid inland areas of Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

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Description

Wanderrie wattle grows as a spreading shrub with many stems, to a height of about four metres. Like most Acacia species, it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. These are a bright green colour, flat, up to nine centimetres long and 1½ centimetres wide. The flowers are yellow, and held in cylindrical clusters between one and two centimetres long. The pods are papery, about seven centimetres long and 1½ centimetres wide.

Uses

The common name "witchetty bush" refers to the fact that Australian Aborigines obtained witchetty grubs from the roots. The bush also provided edible gum and seeds.

References

• Acacia kempeana. Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
• Acacia kempeana. FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
• Mitchell, A. A. and Wilcox, D. G. (1994). Arid Shrubland Plants of Western Australia, Second and Enlarged Edition, Nedlands, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. ISBN 187556022X.