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Acacia harpophylla
Fabaceae FAMILY

Acacia harpophylla

Acacia harpophylla

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant is reported to cause 'bribalow itch' a form of dermatitis in humans[1]. 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[2]. 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

HabitTree
GrowthSlow

Acacia harpophylla is a plant of semi-arid to sub-humid areas in the warm temperate to tropical zones of eastern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 330 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 28°c, but can tolerate 7 - 40°c[1]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -8°c or lower, but new growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 450 - 600mm, but tolerates 300 - 700mm[1]. It can withstand a dry season of 5 - 7 months[1]. Requires a sunny position. Found in the wild on fertile clay soils that can be either acid or alkaline and sometimes are somewhat saline[3, 4]. Prefers a well-drained soil, but can tolerate occasional inundation of the soil[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8.5[1]. A fairly slow-growing tree[4]. Seedlings develop a tap root initially and later form an extensive lateral root system concentrated in the upper 25cm of the soil[4]. An attractive ornamental tree, providing shade and shelter[4]. Seed is produced irregularly, and often at intervals of several years[4]. The plant sends up suckers from the roots, especially if the plant is damaged, and can form dense stands[5, 4]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[6].

Propagation

Unlike most members of this genus, the seed of this species has a thin, permeable seedcoat not requiring any form of pretreatment before germination. Fresh seed gives a germination rate of 97%[4]. Seed viability is lost within 6 - 24 months unless the seeds are stored at subfreezing temperatures[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Acacia+harpophylla>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]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 ↩︎
  3. [3]Flora of Australia — http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ ↩︎The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
  4. [4]Australian Trees and Shrubs: Species for Land Rehabilitation and Farm Planting in the Tropics — Doran J.C.; Turnbull J.W. (Editors) · Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Canbe · 1997 · ISBN 1-86320-127-0 ↩︎A very informative book, rich in information about the uses, cultivation needs and very much more for over 160 species of Australian trees and shrubs.
  5. [5]Useful Wild Plants in Australia. — Cribb. A. B. and J. W. · William Collins Pty Ltd. Sidney · 1981 · ISBN 0-00-216441-8 ↩︎A very readable book.
  6. [6]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  7. [7]Australian Native Plants Society — http://anpsa.org.au/index.html ↩︎A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc.
  8. [8]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.
  9. [9]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  10. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎