Native to scrub and chaparral of New South Wales, Australia, this evergreen shrub or small tree, is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, that also includes pea, lupines and mimosa. The plant grows 20-30′ tall and has a wide canopy and wide weeping branches. Unlike other Acacias it has true leaves rather than phyllodes (modified petioles). Each leaf is blue-gray in color and made up of four pairs of bipinnate leaflets each of which have dozens of mini-leaflets. From late winter to spring, globular clusters of bright yellow flowers appear in the leaf axils. The flowers have an abundance of stamens which give them a fuzzy appearance. Cootamundra wattle is valued as a cut flower as well as a garden shrub. It’s life span is only about 30 years but it can become invasive. The genus name, Acacia, comes either from the Greek word akazo meaning to sharpen or from the Egyptian word akakia, a name given to the Egyptian Thorn, Acacia arabica. The specific epithet, baileyana, honors Frederick Manson Bailey 1827-June 1915) a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterization of the flora of Queensland. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Type: Flowering broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree
Outstanding Feature: Flowers
Form: Weeping
Growth Rate: Rapid
Bloom: Fuzzy, globular clusters of bright yellow flowers from late winter to early spring
Size: 20-30′ H x 20-40′ W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained, neutral to acidic
Hardiness: Zones 8-11
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: Generally healthy but susceptible to anthracnose
Propagation: Seed (after soaking overnight in hot water), semi-hardwood cutting in summer, leaf cuttings
Outstanding Selections:
‘Purpurea (bronze-purple new growth)
Photo Credit: Daiju Azuma, Wikimedia Commons
Karen Meyers