Acacia acuminata
Acacia acuminata
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[ 1295 Title Acacia in Australia: Ethnobotany and Potential Food Crop Publication Janick (ed.), Progress in new crops pp 228-236, (1996) ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. Author Lister P.R.; Holford P.; Haigh T.; Morrison D.A. Website https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-toc.html Publisher ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. Year 1996 ISBN 0-9615027-3-8 Description ]. Especially when harvesting from the wild, especial care should be taken to ensure correct identification of any plants harvested for food[ K Title Plants for a Future Author Ken Fern Description Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips. ]. 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.
Botanical Description
Acacia acuminata is an evergreen shrub or a small tree that can grow up to 12 metres tall in the west of its range but is generally smaller towards the east[ 286 Title Flora of Australia Publication Author Website http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource. , 707 Title Florabank Fact Sheets Publication Author Website http://www.florabank.org.au/lucid/key/Species%20Navigator/Media/Html/index.htm#D Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description 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. ]. Often multistemmed, when single-stemmed the bole is generally straight, 30 - 200cm long and 10 - 30cm in diameter[ 1292 Title Acacia species as large-scale crop plants in theWestern Australian wheatbelt Publication Conservation Science W. Aust. 4 (3) : 96-108 (2002) Author Bartle J.; Cooper D.; Olsen G.; Carslake J. Website https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283798072 Publisher Year 2002 ISBN Description ]. The tree produces a high quality timber, though it is generally on the small side. It is harvested from the wild for mainly local use. The tree is also said to be a traditional food source for the native Australians and is also grown as an ornamental, where it can be used as a hedge. It has been proposed as a potential commercial seed crop in Western Australia[ 1292 Title Acacia species as large-scale crop plants in theWestern Australian wheatbelt Publication Conservation Science W. Aust. 4 (3) : 96-108 (2002) Author Bartle J.; Cooper D.; Olsen G.; Carslake J. Website https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283798072 Publisher Year 2002 ISBN Description , 1293 Title Domestication of wattles with edible seeds for the wheatbelt of Western Australia Publication Conservation Science W. Aust. 4 (3) : 170-180 (2002) Author McDonald M.W.; Maslin B.R.; Thomson L.A.J. Publisher Year 2002 ISBN Description ].