As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity. Wattle is ideally suited to withstand Australia’s droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people.

What is a wattle flower?

Acacias are popularly called Wattle. The tiny Golden Wattle flowers have five very small petals, almost hidden by the long stamens, and are arranged in dense rounded or elongated clusters. The Golden Wattle flowers are yellow in most species, whitish in some, and are widely cultivated as ornamentals.

Is wattle only found in Australia?

Australia is the land of the wattle. 1,210 different species of wattles, belonging to the genus Acacia, have been described by botanists up until 7 August 2018. Nearly all of these (about 98-99%) are endemic, i.e. they only occur in Australia.

What month does wattle flower?

Large flower size, on the other hand, is a characteristic of all Golden Wattles. The flowering season is late winter to early spring and so can be suitably associated with 1 September. Like many other members of the family, Golden Wattle has delicately scented blossom.

What did Aboriginal people use golden wattle for?

The wood from wattles was used to produce spears, boomerangs, spear throwers, clubs, shields, handles for axes and chisels, coolamons, digging sticks, clap sticks and fire drills.

What is NSW national flower?

The Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) is the floral emblem of NSW, a large (10-12cm across) and spectacular scarlet flower growing in the bush in clumps of tall stems.

What does wattle smell like?

A beautiful, fragrant absolute essential oil can be distilled from the flowers of certain species of fragrant Wattle, also known as Mimosa. Used as a key ingredient in perfumes all over the world, Wattle has a wonderful, rich, sweet floral, honey and woody aroma.

Is wattle the same as mimosa?

Some species of acacia or wattle are called mimosa. A large amount of confusion arises when discussing plants named mimosa or acacia. Both are botanical genus names and both names are used colloquially for certain species of trees that produce pink or yellow puffy flowers.

Is wattle a eucalyptus?

Eucalyptus acaciiformis, commonly known as wattle-leaved peppermint is a tree growing to about 20 metres (66 ft) in height that is endemic to the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous bark, lance-shaped leaves, white flowers and cup-shaped to bell-shaped fruit.

Why are acacias called wattles?

Acacias are commonly known as wattles in Australia. The old Anglo-Saxon word ‘wattle’comes from the quick and handy house construction method of the early English settlers. Branches and saplings were cut and woven onto wooden frames to create panels called wattles.

Are wattles weeds?

Wattle trees can make a beautiful tree in a garden or along a wind break on a rural property particularly when in flower, but if they are not native to the area they can become a serious weed in your local bushland.

Are wattles native to NZ?

Various tree wattles (Acacia species) are grown in New Zealand. On farms, most were originally planted for firewood or quick-growing shelter. Black wattle (A. mearnsii) was originally introduced for the tannin its bark produces.

Can wattles grow in shade?

Wattles grow happily in any sunny to semi-shaded spot. They have good tolerance to extremes of both heat and cold, however, if your garden is prone to heavy winter frosts, it’s worth planting species indigenous to your area, as these will be the most robust growers.

How big does a wattle grow?

It grows to about a metre to 2 metres tall and has linear, needle like foliage, which look spiky but are not. One word of warning: some people get asthma and hay fever when they go near a wattle.

Does wattle grow in winter?

Up to a third of Australia’s 960 species of wattle will flower in winter. This winter blooming means that somewhere in Australia, no matter what time of year, a wattle is flowering, because they also flower in spring, summer and autumn.

What are wattle trees good for?

The tannin rich inner bark and gums of wattles have therapeutic effects, and this has been known to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. Bark can alleviate diarrhoea, gums can soothe inflamed skin. The Zulu of Africa use Acacia caffra as an emetic, and give the leaves to their children for tummy troubles.

Can you eat golden wattle?

The flowers are very fragrant and can be used for making perfume, rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters, the seed is edible and the bark is rich in tannins.

Which wattles are edible?

Local wattles with edible seeds include Acacia decurrens (Early Black Wattle), Acacia floribunda (Gossamer Wattle), Acacia longifolia (Coastal Wattle) and Acacia fimbriata (Fringe Wattle).