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Fabaceae FAMILY

Acacia acuminata

Acacia acuminata

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The seed of many Acacia species, including this one, is edible and highly nutritious, and can be eaten safely as a fairly major part of the diet. Not all species are edible, however, and some can contain moderate levels of toxins[1]. Especially when harvesting from the wild, especial care should be taken to ensure correct identification of any plants harvested for food[PFAF]. Especially in times of drought, many Acacia species can concentrate high levels of the toxin Hydrogen cyanide in their foliage, making them dangerous for herbivores to eat.

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthMedium

Acacia acuminata is a plant of semi-arid, warm temperate to subtropical climates with a mainly winter rainfall. It is found at elevations up to 400 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 17 - 28°c, but can tolerate 6 - 38°c[2]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures falling occasionally to about -5°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 350 - 500mm, but tolerates 300 - 700mm[2]. Found in the wild on soils that range from clays to red sand and granitic gravels[3]. Succeeds in soils of medium to low fertility[2]. Established plants are fairly drought tolerant[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[2]. The plant can be grown as an ornamental, where it can be used to make a hedge or screen[3]. The plant has potential for use as a cultivated edible seed crop. It can produce heavy yields of palatable seeds, but its fruiting behaviour tends to be erratic and possibly related to the timing, frequency and intensity of rainfall[4]. The seeds of most acacia species can be quickly and efficiently harvested at full maturity without the need for any specialised equipment. Small seed-bearing branches can be cut and beaten on sheets, or bushes can be beaten or shaken directly onto large sheets[5]. A moderately long-lived but relatively slow growing small tree[3]. Plants do not respond well to coppicing[3]. This species is the main tree being used as a host in sandalwood (Santalum species) plantaions[3].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse[6]. Stored seed should be scarified, pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water and then sown in a warm greenhouse in early spring. The seed germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 25°c[7]. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Acacia seeds that have matured fully on the bush and have been properly dried have a hard seed coat and can be stored in closed containers without deterioration for 5 – 10 years or more in dry conditions at ambient temperatures. It is best to remove the aril, which attracts weevils and can lead to moulds forming. The arils are easilyremoved by placing the seeds in water and rubbing them between the hands, then drying the seeds and winnowing them[5]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, mid summer in individual pots in a frame[8]. Overwinter in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Fair percentage[8]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Acacia+acuminata>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Acacia in Australia: Ethnobotany and Potential Food Crop — Lister P.R.; Holford P.; Haigh T.; Morrison D.A. · ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. · 1996 · https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-toc.html · ISBN 0-9615027-3-8 ↩︎
  2. [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  3. [3]Florabank Fact Sheets — http://www.florabank.org.au/lucid/key/Species%20Navigator/Media/Html/index.htm#D ↩︎An excellent on-line publication. At present their are 132 species in the list, giving lots of information on growing and using the plants, plus information on their climatic tolerances, distribution maps and photographs.
  4. [4]Domestication of wattles with edible seeds for the wheatbelt of Western Australia — McDonald M.W.; Maslin B.R.; Thomson L.A.J. · 2002 ↩︎
  5. [5]Potential of Australian Acacias in combating hunger in semi-arid lands — Rinaudo A.; Patel P.; Thomson L.A.J. · 2002 ↩︎
  6. [6]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  7. [7]Growing from Seed. Volume 1. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1987 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  8. [8]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  9. [9]Flora of Australia — http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ ↩︎The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
  10. [10]Acacia species as large-scale crop plants in theWestern Australian wheatbelt — Bartle J.; Cooper D.; Olsen G.; Carslake J. · 2002 · https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283798072 ↩︎
  11. [11]The Useful Native Plants of Australia. — Maiden J.H. · Turner & Co.; London. · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  12. [12]A Manual of the Timbers of the World — Howard A.L. · MacMillan and Co.; London. · 1934 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎An excellent and comprehensive book on timbers. Rather dated, but still a main source of information for many of the less known woods. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  13. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎