Acacia dawsonii

Dawson's wattle
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Caesalpinioideae
Clade:	Mimosoid clade
Genus:	Acacia
Species:	A. dawsonii
Binomial name
Acacia dawsonii R.T.Baker [1]
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]
Acacia dawsoniR.T.Baker orth. var. Racosperma dawsonii(R.T.Baker) Pedley

Acacia dawsonii commonly known as poverty wattle, Dawson's wattle, or mitta wattle, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern, continental Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with very narrowly elliptic to linear phyllodes, spherical heads of light golden yellow flowers and linear, thinly leathery pods.

Description

Acacia dawsonii is an erect or spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5 to 4 metres (2 to 13 ft), with branchlets that are hairy between resinous ridges. The evergreen phyllodes are straight to slightly curved, very narrowly elliptic to linear and 40–110 mm (1.6–4.3 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) with up to ten longitudinal veins of which one or two are usually more prominent that the others. The flowers are borne in racemes in spherical heads in leaf axils on a peduncle 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long. Each head is 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) in diameter with usually 4 to 8 light golden yellow flowers. Flowering occurs from September to October, and the fruit is a linear pod up to 60 mm (2.4 in) long, 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) wide, straight or with a slight curve and thinly leathery to firmly papery and smooth. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Taxonomy and naming

Acacia dawsonii was first formally described in 1897 by Richard Baker and the description was published in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from specimens collected near Rylstone. ^{[7] [8]} The specific epithet (dawsonii) is named in honour of Mr. J Dawson, L.S., who first pointed the plant out to Baker. ^[8]

Distribution and habitat

Poverty wattle grows in grassland and eucalypt woodland in rocky, clay or sandy soils to an area down the east coast from as far north as Stanthorpe in south east Queensland, through the slopes and tablelands of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, to Mitta Mitta in north east Victoria. ^{[2] [3]}

Use in horticulture

This species is not widely cultivated but is quite hardy and suitable for a wide range of climates. ^{[9] [10]}

See also

• List of Acacia species

References

1. "Acacia dawsonii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
2. "Acacia dawsonii R.T.Baker". New South Wales Flora. National Herbarium of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
3. Cowan, Richard S.; Maslin, Bruce R. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia dawsonii". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
4. Entwisle, Timothy J.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Cowan, Richard S.; Court, Arthur B. "Acacia dawsonii ". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
5. "Acacia dawsonii". Austgralian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
6. "Acacia dawsonii". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
7. "Acacia dawsonii". APNI. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
8. Baker, R.T. (1897). "Descriptions of two new species of Acacia from New South Wales". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 22 (1): 153, t. 8. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.12714 . Retrieved 4 September 2020.
9. "Acacia dawsonii". Australian Native Plants Society. February 2012. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
10. Cosgrove, Meredith (2014). Photographic Guide to Native Plants of the Australian Capital Territory. Meadow Argus. p. 121. ISBN   9780994183408.