''Acacia victoriae'', commonly known as elegant wattle, bramble wattle, prickly wattle, gundabluey, gundabluie or bardi bush, is a shrub-like tree native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. There is a single subspecies: ''A. victoriae'' subsp. ''arida'' Pedley

Description

''Acacia victoriae'' matures into a shrub-like tree with multiple trunks. It reaches a height of about and is moderately fast growing. It has a life-span of about 10–15 years. The tree has a large root system, known to extend to . It is able to survive drought fairly well, but not in severe drought, though it can regenerate from suckers. Flowering begins in August and continues into late December, depending on the region in which the tree is found. The branches of ''Acacia victoriae'' are covered in small spines that are about 1 cm in length. During flowering, the branches are fully clustered with yellowish and strongly scented flowers. Each flower is in a pair within the 12 cm cluster. Seeds are found in 8 cm pale-coloured pods. The seeds themselves are about 0.5 cm and brown in colour. The timing of seed maturation varies.

Distribution and ecology

''Acacia victoriae'' is found in arid and semiarid areas, generally in alkaline soils including clayey alluvials, grey cracking clays and saline loams on floodplains, alluvial flats, rocky hillsides and ridges. Animals such as birds and small mammals are known to use the tree as protection. The seeds and foliage also offer a source of food to animals.Worldwide Wattle (2012)
''Acacia victoriae'' Benth

Uses

Food

The nitrogen-containing seeds are used in breads as well as ground up as meal. Aboriginals are helping to apply their methods in using the seeds from ''A. victoriae'' for food. The seeds have also been used as fodder, being a good source of protein.

Land uses

''Acacia victoriae'' is useful when used as a windbreak and also helps with soil stabilization. Because it is able to grow at a moderate rate, it has also been used for site rehabilitation.

Gallery

File:Elegant Wattle, Prickly Wattle, Gundabluie.jpg, Flowers File:Acacia victoriae (11372994503).jpg, Seed pods File:Acacia victoriae pod.jpg, Legume File:CSIRO ScienceImage 3155 Roasted and Ground Seeds of the Elegant Wattle Acacia victoriae.jpg, Roasted and ground seeds Acacia victoriae Peak Creek Diamantina Developmental Road Boulia Shire Queensland P1060469.jpg, Boulia Shire, Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2822210 victoriae Trees of Australia Forages Shrubs Fabales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Flora of South Australia Flora of Victoria (state) Acacias of Western Australia Bushfood Taxa named by George Bentham