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Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
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Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
Scientific Name: Acacia terminalis
Common Name: sunshine wattle
Family Classification (Clade): Eudicots
Family: Fabaceae
Form Description: Shrub with spreading branches.
Height (m): 1 – 4
Flowers: Clusters of ‘fluffy balls’, pale cream/yellow and smelling of mulberries.
Fruit: Seed pod – oblong, straight, flattened, 6-10cm long.
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Locally frequent on poor stony soils especially derived from mudstone.
Site Tolerance
Dry, Moist, Rocky
Soil Tolerance
Loam, Nutrient-poor, Sandy, Well-drained
Frost Tolerance
Hardy
General Notes
Bird attracting. Resistant to Phytophthora cinnamomi. Susceptible to browsing by hares and rabbits.
Propagation Calendar
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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 Information
Seed Collection
Most acacias are readily propagated by seed. Close monitoring needed as it sheds seed on maturity. Pick pods just as they start to dry and change colour. Spread on sheets. Sieve to isolate.
Seed Treatment Method
Hot Water Hot water is used to soften the hard seed case of some species. This replicates the weathering process. Pour hot (not boiling) water over the seeds and allow them to soak for 4-12 hours.
Germination Time
10-30 days
Cutting & Division Information
Cuttings are possible with “phyllode bearing” acacias, more so than with “feathery leaved” species. Leafy pinnate species are not generally propagated by cuttings.