Acacia longifolia
Acacia longifolia
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 longifolia is an evergreen shrub or small tree, ranging in size from a prostrate shrub when growing in poor soils and in maritime exposure to a tree 7 metres or more tall. The open, spreading crown can range from 1 - 25 metres wide[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. , 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. , 397 Title Australian Native Plants Society Publication Author Website http://anpsa.org.au/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc. ]. Although it produces true leaves as a seedling, llike most members of this section of the genus, the mature plant does not have true leaves but has leaf-like flattened stems called phyllodes[ 397 Title Australian Native Plants Society Publication Author Website http://anpsa.org.au/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc. ]. The tree is a traditional food source of Australian Aborigines and is also used in the growing Australian Bush foods industry. It is a very ornamental plant and is often cultivated in gardens from the warm temperate zone to the tropics. Acacia longifolia has been deliberately introduced in various countries, mainly for dune stabilization and soil improvement. It is recognized as an aggressive invasive weed in parts of its native range in Australia, and in some of the countries where it has been introduced; such as in South Africa, Spain and Portugal. It has a prolific seed production, and fast growth, facilitating its spread in suitable habitats[ 1093 Title Invasive Species Compendium Publication Author Website http://www.cabi.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc). ].