Scientific Name: Acacia leprosa var. graveolens

Common Name: varnish wattle

Family Classification (Clade): Eudicots

Family: Fabaceae

Form Description: Shrub, usually straggly.

Height (m): 3 – 5

Flowers: Tiny flowers which appear to be dense fluffy balls occurring singly on a flowering stem.

Fruit: Seed pod – brown, straight, sticky, flattened, constricted between the seeds.

Municipality
Break O’DayBurnieCentral CoastCentral HighlandsCircular HeadDerwent ValleyDevonportDorsetFlindersGeorge TownGlamorgan-Spring BayGlenorchyHobartHuon ValleyKentishKingboroughLatrobeLauncestonMeander ValleyNorthern MidlandsSouthern MidlandsTasmanWaratah-WynyardWest Coast
Plant Communities
Alpine and Sub-alpine VegetationWet Eucalypt Forest
Habitat Notes

Widespread and abundant in damp shady places. Occasional in lower, drier habitats.

Site Tolerance

Dry, Moist, Rocky, Shady

Soil Tolerance

Clay, Fertile, Loam, Nutrient-poor, Sandy, Well-drained

Frost Tolerance

Hardy

General Notes

Useful in providing low level shelter (up to 4m) in mixed species windbreaks. Useful in soil erosion control as fibrous roots help bind the soil. Also useful in improving soil fertility. Will regenerate naturally from seed particularly following fire. Resistant to Phytophthora cinnamomi. Susceptible to browsing by hares and rabbits. Koori (mainland) use: reputedly used to stupefy fish to enable easy capture.

Propagation Calendar

  • Flowering Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Seed Collecting Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Sowing Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Cutting Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Propagation Method
Seed

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Most acacias are readily propagated by seed. Releases seed immediately on maturity. Pick pods just as they start to dry and change colour. Spread on sheets. Sieve to isolate.

Seed Storage Life

Long

Seed Treatment Notes

Propagation from scarified seed. Pour boiling water over seed and allow to soak for 24 hours before sowing. Alternatively boil the seed for 30 secs before plunging into cold water and sowing.

Germination Time

2-3 weeks

Cutting & Division Information

Too hard and strike rate too low to bother. Cuttings are possible with “phyllode bearing” acacias, more so than with “feathery leaved” species.