Acacia floribunda

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Gossamer wattle
Acacia floribunda CFGk365.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. floribunda
Binomial name
Acacia floribunda
Acacia-floribunda-range-map.png
Synonyms [1]
  • Acacia angustifoliaLodd., G.Lodd. & W.Lodd. nom. illeg.
  • Acacia floribunda(Vent.) Willd. var. floribunda
  • Acacia floribunda var. latifolia Benth.
  • Acacia intermedia A.Cunn. ex Hook.
  • Acacia longifolia f. floribunda(Vent.) Voss
  • Acacia longifolia var. floribunda F.Muell. nom. inval.
  • Acacia longifolia var. floribunda(Vent.) Benth.
  • Acacia longifolia var. floribunda Maiden nom. illeg.
  • Acacia retinodes var. floribunda Court nom. inval., pro syn.
  • Mimosa floribundaVent.
  • Phyllodoce floribunda(Vent.) Link
  • Racosperma floribundum(Vent.) Pedley
Distribution map of Acacia floribunda Acacia floribundaDistMap366.png
Distribution map of Acacia floribunda

Acacia floribunda, commonly known as white sally wattle, gossamer wattle, river wattle or white-sallow wattle, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a spreading shrub or tree with often pendulous branches covered with soft hairs, linear to narrowly lance-shaped phyllodes, spikes of pale yellow to more or less white flowers and straight to strongly curved, firmly papery pods.

Contents

Description

Acacia floribunda is a spreading shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 2–8 m (6 ft 7 in – 26 ft 3 in) and has smooth grey bark, sometimes becoming rough, and pendulous branches often covered with soft hairs. Its phyllodes are linear to narrowly lance-shaped, 50–190 mm (2.0–7.5 in) long, 1.5–12 mm (0.059–0.472 in) wide, thin and pliable with up to three main veins. The flowers are borne in one or two loosely packed spikes 20–80 mm (0.79–3.15 in) long on a very short peduncle. Flowering usually occurs from June to September and the pods are more or less cylindrical, mostly straight to strongly curved, 60–120 mm (2.4–4.7 in) long, 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide, firmly papery and more or less constricted between the seeds. The seeds are elliptic, 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and glossy brown with a small aril. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1803 by Étienne Pierre Ventenat who gave it the name Mimosa floribunda in his Choix de Plantes, dont la plupart sont cultivees dans le jardin de Cels from specimens collected at Botany Bay. [7] [8] In 1806, Carl Ludwig Willdenow transferred the species to Acacia as A. floribunda in Species Plantarum . [9] [10] The specific epithet (floribunda) means 'free-flowering'. [2]

Distribution and habitat

White sally wattle is widespread in forests and woodland from Stanthorpe, Mount Barney and Tambourine Mountain in south-eastern Queensland through New South Wales to Briagolong in eastern Victoria with an isolated occurrence at Nambour. It mainly grows in coastal sclerophyll communities, often in sandy soil, and is common along the banks of streams. It is naturalised in other places in Victoria and Tasmania and possibly the Australian Capital Territory. [2]

Use in horticulture

In landscaping, Acacia floribunda is very useful for controlling erosion, especially in gullies. It is also useful as a hedge or screen plant. It can be propagated from scarified seed or treatment with boiling water. [11]

Phytochemistry

The phyllodes, twigs and bark of this species contains the compound NN-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) (0.4-0.5%) and other substituted tryptamines. [12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Acacia floribunda". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Court, Arthur B. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia floribunda". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  3. ↑ Kodela, Phillip G.; Harden, Gwen J. "Acacia floribunda". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Entwisle, Timothy J.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Cowan, Richard S.; Court, Arthur B. "Acacia floribunda". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Acacia floribunda". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Acacia floribunda". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "Mimosa floribunda". APNI. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Ventenat, Étienne Pierre; Cels, Jacques-Martin; Pottier; Redouté, Pierre Joseph; Sellier, François Noël; Turpin, Pierre Jean François (1803). Choix de plantes : dont la plupart sont cultivées dans le jardin de Cels. Paris: Imprimerie de Crapelet. p. 13. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Acacia floribunda". APNI. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Willdenow, Carl Ludwig (1806). Species Plantarum. p. 1051. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Acacia floribunda". Australian National Herbarium. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  12. ↑ EGA leaflet (2023) - https://www.entheogenesis.org/ega-resources/reference-guide-for-common-wattles
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