Acacia aneura - Mulga Acacia

Habitat

Exposition

Plein soleil

Humidité

Sol sec à moyen. Tolère la sécheresse.

Sol

Sol léger à moyen. Nécessite un sol drainant.

pH

Non calcaire

Rusticité

Zone 9

Habitat originel

Arid areas in all mainland states except Victoria[157, 167].

Origine géographique

Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia.

Comestibilité

• Flowers - cooked [144].
• Rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters [144].
• The bark exudes an edible gum [183].
• Some species produce a gum that is dark and is liable to be astringent and distasteful, but others produce a light gum and this is sweet and pleasant .
• It can be sucked like candy or soaked in water to make a jelly [193].
• The gum can be warmed when it becomes soft and chewable [193].
• Graines - cuites .
• It is dried, ground into a flour and used with cereals in making cakes etc [177, 183].
• Acacia seeds are highly nutritious and contain approx 26% protein, 26% available carbohydrate, 32% fibre and 9% fat [278].
• The fat content is higher than most legumes with the aril providing the bulk of fatty acids present [278].
• These fatty acids are largely unsaturated which is a distinct health advantage although it presents storage problems as such fats readily oxidise [278].
• The mean total carbohydrate content of 55.8 + 13.7% is lower than that of lentils, but higher than that of soybeans while the mean fibre content of 32.3 + 14.3% is higher than that of other legumes such as lentils with a level of 11.7% [278].
• The energy content is high in all species tested, averaging 1480+270 kJ per 100g [278].
• Wattle seeds are low glycaemic index foods .
• The starch is digested and absorbed very slowly, producing a small, but sustained rise in blood glucose and so delaying the onset of exhaustion in prolonged exercise [278].
• A sweet red or white 'lerp' that forms on the leaves and branches is eaten [183].
• Lerp is a protective shield secreted from the anus of sap-sucking insects [193].
• The taste is sweet and it was used as a staple food by the Aborigines in some areas of Australia [193].
• It is not clear if the lerp is eaten when the insects are still present or if it can be eaten after they have gone [K].
• A large succulent gall, known as 'mulga apple' is produced by the tree and is said to quench the thirst [183].

Autres usages

• A yellow dye is obtained from the flowers [168].
• A green dye is obtained from the seed pods [168].
• The extensive root system of this plant helps to prevent soil erosion [200].
• The twigs are used to make a dishmop [156].
• Wood - turns well, takes a high polish .
• It is used extensively for ornaments and fencing [156, 157, 167].

Culture

• Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position [1].
• Succeeds in any good garden soil that is not excessively limey [11].
• Most species become chlorotic on limey soils [200].
• In the wild this species tolerates periodic inundation[167], though it is also very drought tolerant [245].
• Hardy to at least -7c in Australian gardens[157], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters .
• Trees are not very hardy outdoors in Britain, even in the mildest areas of the country they are likely to be killed in excessively harsh winters [11].
• Ces plantes ont une relation symbiotique avec des bactéries du sol qui forment des nodules sur les racines et fixent l'azote atmosphérique .
• Une partie de cet azote est utilisé par la plante mais une partie est disponible aux autres plantes poussant à proximité [200].

Propagation

• Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse [1].
• Stored seed should be scarified, pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water and then sown in a warm greenhouse in March .
• The seed germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 25°c [133].
• As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter .
• Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors .
• Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in individual pots in a frame [78].
• Overwinter in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in their permanent positions in late spring or early summer .
• Fair percentage [78].