Black Wattle

acacia mearnsii

The Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii) is a fast-growing leguminous tree native to southeastern Australia. Famed for its beautiful feathery foliage and fragrant pale yellow blooms, this resilient plant holds a dual reputation: it is both a highly valued commercial resource for tannin production and one of the world's most aggressive invasive species. It thrives in diverse climates, rapidly colonizing disturbed soils and altering ecosystems to its advantage. In its native habitats, it plays an important ecological role by stabilizing soils and providing habitat. However, when introduced abroad, its high reproductive rate, massive seed bank, and tolerance to fire allow it to easily displace native vegetation and deplete precious water resources.

Lebensraum: Typically found in open woodlands, forest margins, riparian zones, grasslands, and disturbed areas like roadsides.

Aussehen

The Black Wattle is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, typically reaching heights between 5 and 15 meters. It features dark olive-green, bipinnate leaves that have a soft, feathery appearance due to hundreds of tiny, tightly packed leaflets. Its bark is smooth and greenish-black on younger branches, maturing into a rough, dark brown to blackish bark with deep fissures. During late winter and spring, it produces spectacular, dense clusters of globular, pale yellow or cream-colored flowers that emit a sweet scent, which later develop into flat, dark brown, jointed seed pods.

ReichPlantaeStammTracheophytaKlasseMagnoliopsidaOrdnungFabalesFamilieFabaceaeGattungAcacia

Black Wattle

Kategorie

Pflanzen

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

A single mature tree can produce tens of thousands of seeds each year, which can remain viable and sleep in the soil for up to 50 years before germinating.

Its bark contains an incredibly high concentration of soluble tannins (up to 40%), making it one of the premier global sources for vegetable leather tanning.

The Black Wattle is listed by the IUCN as one of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Formulates mutualistic bonds with Rhizobium bacteria in its roots to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable soil nutrients, allowing it to colonize nutrient-poor soils.

Produces seeds with a tough outer coat that can lie dormant in the soil for decades, which are stimulated to germinate rapidly en masse following the heat of a wildfire.

Releases chemical compounds from its roots and decomposing leaf litter into the surrounding soil, inhibiting the germination and growth of competing native plant species.

Maße und Details

Länge: 500-2000 cm
Lebenserwartung: 10-30 Jahre

Ernährung und Fütterung

As an autotrophic plant, the Black Wattle produces its own energy via photosynthesis, absorbing sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and essential soil minerals.

Hauptnahrung

Sunlight
Carbon dioxide
Water
Soil nutrients

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

mutualism

Rhizobium Bacteria

Rhizobium leguminosarum

Establishes a mutualistic relationship where the bacteria fix nitrogen in the tree's root nodules.

eaten by

Acacia Seed Weevil

Melanterius macrophylla

The larvae of this weevil feed directly on the developing seeds inside the pods, acting as a biological control agent.

eaten by

Pine Emperor Moth

Imbrasia cytherea

The large, colorful caterpillars of this moth feed heavily on the tree's foliage in areas where the tree is introduced.

Merkmale

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Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man Black Wattle?

Der einfachste Weg, Black Wattle zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von Black Wattle?

500-2000 cm

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Black Wattle?

10-30 Jahre

Was frisst Black Wattle?

As an autotrophic plant, the Black Wattle produces its own energy via photosynthesis, absorbing sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and essential soil minerals.

Wo findet man Black Wattle normalerweise?

Typically found in open woodlands, forest margins, riparian zones, grasslands, and disturbed areas like roadsides.