Acacia provincialis
Acacia provincialis
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 provincialis is a tree usually growing 5 - 6 metres tall with a spreading, openly-branched to dense crown. It sometimes reaches 8 - 10 metres on the wetter sites. A single-stemmed plant, though it sometimes divides into 2 - 4 main stems from low down, the trunk can be 10 - 30cm in diameter[ 1301 Title Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia Publication Author Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W. Publisher Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A Year 2004 ISBN 0642 58585 7 Description ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is regarded as having reasonably good prospects as a crop plant for high volume wood production[ 1301 Title Acacia Search; Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for Southern Australia Publication Author Maslin B.R. & McDonald M.W. Publisher Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; Western A Year 2004 ISBN 0642 58585 7 Description ]. The plant is cultivated as an ornamental in many warm temperate regions of the world, and is also grown at higher elevations in the tropics.