Acacia nyssophylla

Botanical Name

Acacia nyssophylla F. Mueller

Common Name(s)

  • prickly wattle

Legume Clades

Native Geographic Range

  • Australia

IUCN Status

Growth Form

shrub

Cultivation Status in AZ

Uniquely cultivated by DELEP

Description

Evergreen shrubs 2--10 ft (0.6--3 m) high with numerous, stiff twigs. The bark is smooth and gray. Phyllodes (leaves) are slender, dull green, stiff and spine-tipped, ½—1¼ in (1.5—3.5 mm) long. Golden yellow flowers are produced in small, rounded heads. Flowering occurs in the late winter and spring.

Habitat

Rather widely distributed across the southwestern third of Australia where the plants are locally common in woodland and scrub habitats.

Uses

None reported.

Horticulture

Prickly wattle could be planted as a barrier but should be sited away from traffic areas due to the spinescent phyllodes. No pest or disease problems have been observed on cultivated plants. It is drought resistant once established. Growth rate is slow. Plants in cultivation have survived temperatures of 18° F (-7.7° C) without damage. This species is not currently in commercial production in the U.S.