Wattle Watch Porongurup

Acacias (Wattles) are an interesting group of plants. Their true leaves are divided into leaflets, but a large group of wattles develop modified flat leaf-like structures called phyllodes (which are simply flattened stems) soon after germination. Acacia forest is Australia’s second most common forest type after Eucalypt forest, with 9.8 million hectares or 8 per cent of total forest area. Almost 1,000 species of acacia occur in Australia, making it the nation’s largest genus of flowering plants. Acacias help to protect the landscape by stabilising soils and preventing erosion. They also enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth. This process depends on symbiotic bacteria called rhizobia that live in the plant’s root system. Acacias are one of the first plants to regenerate after a disturbance such as a bushfire. Acacia wood has traditionally been used by Indigenous Australians for making spears, clubs and hunting boomerangs. Early in the colonial period the wood was widely used for cabinet-making and everyday furniture, but today its use is limited to fine furniture. Unfortunately this guide is incomplete so get out there and upload your wattle observations. This guide is available by logging in to your iNaturalist account and clicking on Guides. Please notify errors and/or omissions to @npk less ↑