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Fabaceae FAMILY

Acacia leucoclada

Acacia leucoclada

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

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
GrowthFast

Acacia leucoclada grows in semi-arid to sub-humid areas of the temperate to subtropical zone of eastern Australia where it can be found at elevations up to 780 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean maximum temperature of the hottest months can reach 29 - 34°c, and the mean minimum in the coldest month can fall to 0 - 3°c. The plant can often experience moderate frosts, down to around -5°c for short periods. Mean annual rainfall can vary from 250 - 875mm, with a variable dry season that can range from 0 - 6 months[1]. Requires a sunny position for best growth, often found in shady positions but then usually a spindly shrub[1]. A fast-growing tree when young[, probably living for several decades1301]. In one trial, in an area with around 600mm annual rainfall, this species showed good form, attained 5.6 metres in height and 7.2cm in diameter, at the age of 30 months[1]. The plant can sucker freely, but is unlikely to respond well to coppicing[1]. Prefers a well-drained soil, succeeding in light to moderately heavy conditions[1]. At least some forms have shown themselves to be drought-tolerant[1]. This species has in the past been confused with Acacia dealbata, but differs in various aspects, including its more open growth habit[1]. 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[2].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse[3].The dried seed of most, if not all, members of this genus has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Sow the seed in Spring in a greenhouse. 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[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Acacia+leucoclada>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia — Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W. · Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A · 2004 · ISBN 0642 58585 7 ↩︎
  2. [2]Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy — United States Department of Agriculture · http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en ↩︎An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
  3. [3]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 ]).
  4. [4]Potential of Australian Acacias in combating hunger in semi-arid lands — Rinaudo A.; Patel P.; Thomson L.A.J. · 2002 ↩︎
  5. [5]Flora of Australia — http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ ↩︎The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
  6. [6]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.
  7. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎