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Post by taihaku on Jul 13, 2015 5:56:44 GMT -5
So my beloved is an aussie with the result that I've planted in our ornamental garden section a few aussie natives; banksia, callistemon and the like. I'm looking at a spot in the garden which is going to have space for a nice, lightly shading small tree and I'm thinking of trying an acacia. I know many aussie acacias produce edible seed but was wondering if any of you have any experience of them doing so. It will need to be a frost hardy species. A. dealbata and A. baileyana purpurea are both commonly available from garden centres here but I know how easy they are from seed so shouldn't have a problem growing out something else if there is a hardy species that will throw me some wattleseeds into the bargain as well as looking pretty, feeding the bees and aussifying the place....
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Post by templeton on Jul 13, 2015 7:05:59 GMT -5
Wow, about 1000 to choose from...all my bush tucker books are at work, I'll have a look tomorrow. From memory, most of the seeds are edible, but may not be palatable. As for frost tolerance, most of the acacias from the south to north past Alice Springs will be subject to occasional frosts if they grow inland. A.baileyana is from Cootamundra, in Central NSW. The two you mention have bipinnate foliage, but some of the nicer ones have phyllodes. One of my favourites is Lightwood, A.implexa, lovely tesselated bark, small tree, with a more classical tree form than many. Relatively dry sites. Its close relative Blackwood A.melanoxylon is a big tree of damper sites and forests. Most widespread is A.pycnantha - national flower, heavy producer of seed, but a bit straggly. Most acacias are relatively fast growing, but short lived. Be careful of wikipedia entry - full of mistakes... You would probably get better advice from a local in your area - or does you beloved come from a particular area, and have attachment to a particular sp? Personally, I don't like the A.b. purpurea - very untypical, and not often seen here.
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Post by taihaku on Jul 13, 2015 13:29:35 GMT -5
I know what you mean re baileyana purpurea - beautiful but ocmpletely unnatural looking. melanoxylon has naturalised in a couple of spots in the UK so would definitely work, I've also seen covenyi available from one supplier in the UK which I quite like the look of. On a related note; interesting article on wattle seed as chook food here: anpsa.org.au/acaciaSG/acacia99.pdf
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Post by rowan on Jul 13, 2015 15:01:26 GMT -5
I have eaten a lot of wattle seed when I lived in the bush. They are all edible as mature seed with a nutty and agreeable flavour but some species tastes better than others of course. If the immature green seeds taste like raw peas and is not bitter then they are edible too, if they are bitter then they can be poisonous, taste away one or two seeds won't hurt. Most seed is easy to grind into meal or flour but too hard to eat whole without cooking.
I think the best tasting seed for flour is Acacia sophorae, but it is an ugly plant though. Aboriginal people used to travel from far inland every year to harvest this seed.
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Post by templeton on Jul 14, 2015 1:16:20 GMT -5
Just checked my two books and they weren't very useful, reporting green and dry seed were eaten. The only species mentioned that might be of use was Acacia stenophylla, a nice phyllode bearing stately small tree of floodplains and river banks in Victoria. Has skinny phyllodes up to a foot long, and long lumpy pods.
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Post by Stump on Jul 18, 2015 0:46:42 GMT -5
For ornamental Acacia, I like the red flowering form of Cinnamon Wattle. Pretty and different. It's marketed here as "Scarlet Blaze"
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Post by raymondo on Aug 1, 2015 21:50:31 GMT -5
Acacia vestita, Weeping Boree, is a lovely small tree with a graceful, weeping habit. No idea about seed edibility. There's a beauty in town at the central bus stop. I collect a few seeds each year to propagate. I have two little plants from last season's seeds which will be planted out this year after frost.
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