Cootamundra Wattle - non-local native (*Acacia baileyana)
Scale bar = 1 cm
Family: Fabaceae (Pea family).
Native of Central NSW (Cootamundra district).
Occurrence: It is now widely distributed along roadsides and in bushland.
Identification:
- it is a small tree with bluish leaves
- the leaves are divided into about 3 pairs of oval leaflets, each of which has numerous smaller leaflets
- it has bright yellow flowers in July and August.
Notes: Cootamundra Wattle is native to a small area of Central NSW. It has been widely planted in Victoria, and has spread into bushland and elsewhere. It is an environmental weed that changes the appearance of the bushland it invades and it displaces indigenous plants. The seed may be spread by ants, wind and water. Near Castlemaine, many Cootamundra Wattles are host to Wire-leaf Mistletoe.
Name. baileyana: after F. M. Bailey, 1827-1915, who wrote the seven volume Flora of Queensland; Cootamundra: the district to which it is native.
Photos:
1: A leaf of Cootamundra Wattle. The leaf is divided into oval leaflets, each of which is divided into about 20 smaller leaflets. The foliage has a bluish colour. 2: The flowers are in branched bunches. 3: Street tree, Castlemaine.
4: Cootamundra Wattle often produces abundant seed, which assists in its dispersal through bushland. 5: Cootamundra Wattle in its natural habitat. Cootamundra district bushland. (1972 photo).
1: A leaf of Cootamundra Wattle. The leaf is divided into oval leaflets, each of which is divided into about 20 smaller leaflets. The foliage has a bluish colour. 2: The flowers are in branched bunches. 3: Street tree, Castlemaine.
4: Cootamundra Wattle often produces abundant seed, which assists in its dispersal through bushland. 5: Cootamundra Wattle in its natural habitat. Cootamundra district bushland. (1972 photo).