Fruits/Seeds
Oblong, flat, and straight-sided pods, 2 – 5 cm long and 8 – 19 mm wide, and bluish in colour.
Field Guide
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Sweet Scented Wattle
Did You Know?
- In its natural habitat, it is killed by fire and relies on stored seed reserves in the soil to regenerate
It was first described by renowned botanist J.E. Smith, the founder of London’s Linneaen Society.
Evergreen shrub with smooth, purplish brown or light green bark. Up to 0.3 – 3 m high.
Leaves
Narrow, straight or very slightly elliptic, and blue-green. Each leaf is about 5 – 15 cm long and 2 – 10 mm wide, with a prominent vein down the centre. Its surface is hairless and covered with a fine white powder. It grows at right angles to the stem.
Flowers
Pale yellow to white and ball-shaped. Each flower is 4 – 7 mm in diameter and is found in clusters of 5 – 10 flowers aligned along an axis of 1 – 3 cm long. They are sweet smelling and enclosed in overlapping bracts (modified leaves) before opening.
What to Observe
-
First fully open single flower
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Full flowering (record all days)
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End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)
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Open seed pods (record all days)
When and Where
When To Look
- From autumn through spring
- Flowers appear from March to September
- Seed pods appear after flowers
Where To Look
- Common in bushland surrounding Sydney, but occurs along the east coast and ranges of Australia from southern Queensland south into Tasmania
- Also occurs on some offshore islands, the Grampians, and in the border region of South Australia and Victoria
- In coastal regions of low altitude (up to 300 m)
- In heath and dry woodlands with sandy soil
What Else?
Similar Species
Flinders Ranges or Willow-leaved Wattle (Acacia iteaphylla) is a bushier shrub up to 4 m high, with longer seed pods (5 – 13 cm long).
