Dear Agony Aunt,
I’ve noticed a brilliant yellow flowering wattle along the road on Kooragang Island. It’s covered in golden balls and has long, drooping leaves. It looks lovely. What species is it, and should I plant some at home?
Yours, Curious on Kooragang
Dear Reader,
You’re right that it’s a real showstopper. Late winter into spring is when our wattles are at their best. But before you head to the nursery, there’s a catch.
From your description (bright golden ball flowers, long drooping leaves, a weeping, bushy habit), there’s a good chance you’ve spotted golden wreath wattle, Acacia saligna. It’s an Australian native, but not one from our region. Its natural home is the south-west Western Australia.
How did it get here?
For decades it was a popular choice for landscaping, roadside screens and dune stabilisation after sand mining, because it grows fast, handles poor sandy soil and shrugs off salt spray. Those are exactly the qualities that make it a problem outside its home range. It has escaped from gardens and plantings into coastal dunes, creek lines and bushland across eastern NSW, and it’s now recognised as a significant environmental weed in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Why is it a problem?
- It forms dense thickets that crowd out local plants, severely threatening vulnerable NSW Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs) such as the Central Hunter Grey Box–Ironbark Woodland, the Central Hunter Ironbark–Spotted Gum–Grey Box Forest, the Central Hunter Valley eucalypt forest and woodland, and coastal pockets of Littoral Rainforest.
- It seeds heavily. Birds, ants and small mammals carry the seed away, and it can stay dormant in the soil for up to 20 years.
- It suckers and resprouts, so slashing or cutting it back often produces more plants.
- Fire wakes up the seed bank, so burnt areas can come back thick with seedlings.
How can you tell it apart?
Golden wreath wattle has long, often blue-green, drooping “leaves” (phyllodes) with one prominent central vein, and flowers in round golden balls. Several of our local wattles also have yellow flowers, so if you’re not sure, take a photo of a branch with flowers and leaves and send it to us. We’re happy to help with ID.
What to plant instead
If you want that burst of spring gold in your garden, choose wattles that belong in the Hunter. Your local native nursery can recommend species suited to your soil and site. Long-lived options such as Acacia falcata, Acacia implexa, Acacia madenii and Acacia mearnsii provide structure and habitat for decades.
From Your Landcare Agony Aunt
Photo credit: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research and Australian National Herbarium website, <Australian National Botanic Gardens – Growing Acacia>.
This image has not been placed in the public domain, but is provided on the listed website for the personal non-commerical use of educators, students, scholars and the public.