Acacia dealbata - Mimosa argenté

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 8

Habitat originel

In many habitats by streams, gullies and alpine ridges[154, 184]. Dry forests[260].

Origine géographique

Australia - Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania. Naturalized in S. Europe[50].

Comestibilité

• Flowers - cooked [144].
• Rich in pollen, they are often used in fritters .
• A gum that exudes naturally from the trunk is edible and is used as a substitute for Gum Arabic [46].
• It is very soluble in water and viscous[46, 153], but is of low quality [64].
• Larger quantities can be obtained by tapping the trunk [64].
• 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].

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].
• Tannin is obtained from the bark [61, 171].
• On a 10% moisture basis, the bark contains 19.1% tannin [223].

Culture

• Prefers a sandy loam and a very sunny position sheltered from strong winds [1, 11].
• Succeeds in any good garden soil that is lime-free [11].
• Plants become chlorotic on limey soils [200].
• They grow well in a hot dry position[166], and are very drought tolerant [245].
• Fast growing [88].
• Although it prefers a well-drained soil, the plant is tolerant of both drought and wet conditions [260].
• Hardy to about -10°c, this species succeeds outdoors in the milder areas of Britain[11, 184], growing well in Cornwall [49, 59].
• If it is cut down by frosts it usually resprouts from the base to form a thicket of slender stems [166].
• It can be trained and grown against a sunny wall [202].
• Plants require hot, sunny summers if they are to ripen their wood fully and flower freely .
• In Britain they tend to do best when grown in coastal gardens in a sunny, sheltered position that is protected from the wind [11].
• This species is closely allied to A. decurrens [11].
• Old specimens sucker very freely, often at considerable distances from the parent tree [200].
• Plants can be coppiced [134].
• A very ornamental tree[1], there are some named varieties [260].
• The species is cultivated in S. Europe for ornament, timber and soil stabilization [50].
• The flowers are very attractive and are often sold in florists [11, 61].
• The violet-like perfume of the flowers can be quite intoxicating on a calm day [245].
• 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].