Menu
Acacia bynoeana is a small shrub growing to 0.5 m high.
It is found in heath and dry sclerophyll forest, in sandy soils.
It has a limited distribution in NSW, found mainly south from Morisset area to the Illawarra region, west to the Blue Mountains and it is uncommon in the wild. Hence, it is listed as a threatened species in NSW.
The phyllodes (modified leaves) are narrowly elliptic to linear, straight to slightly curved. They have a length to 6 cm and a width to 0.3 cm.
The shrub usually blooms in the summertime between December and March, producing flowers in globular heads, to 4 mm diameter, containing up to 25 bright-golden staminate flowers. One head is produced per leaf axil.
Pods are straight to 3 cm long.
Grows well in sandy, well-drained soils. Not much is known about how commonly it is cultivated. It is a listed threatened species and so may be difficult to source.
Acacias can suffer from a number of pests, including borers, scale, galls and leaf miners. Growing plants suitable to your local environment minimises these occurring.
Propagation is easy from scarified seed by covering with boiling water for 24 hours and discarding any seeds still floating on the surface.
Most wattles will die in a fire and regenerate from seed. Some species exhibit suckering from basal parts and roots.
Acacia is a highly diverse genus, with over 1500 recognised species (placing it in the top-10 most-diverse plant genera) occurring in most continents except for Europe. Australia has about 970 spp., most of which are endemic. There are also about 10 exotic species. NSW has about 235 recognised species. Some species have become weeds in other states outside of their natural range (e.g., wattles from Western Australia into NSW and vice versa).
Acacia – from Greek Akakia – which refers to an Ancient Greek preparation made from one of the many species; the name of which derives from akis, meaning “thorn” – referring to the thorns of species in Africa.
bynoeana – named in Honour of Benjamin Bynoe (1803-1865), a Royal Navy surgeon who collected the type specimen during his voyage on the Beagle.
This species is listed as threatened under both NSW and Commonwealth legislation (classified as endangered at NSW level and vulnerable at Commonwealth level).
NSW Flora Online (PlantNET) – Acacia bynoeana profile page
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Acacia~bynoeana
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage – Threatened Species Profiles – Acacia bynoeana profile page https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10006