Acacia Decurrens, Black Wattle - 0.5 kg Seeds

Acacia decurrens, the green or black wattle, is a fast-growing evergreen tree with dark green, finely divided bipinnate foliage and profuse, bright golden, sweetly scented flower balls. In India it is grown in the cooler uplands such as the Nilgiris and other hill regions where it has long been raised in plantations.

Its bark is a rich commercial source of tannin used in leather processing, and the wood makes good fuel and charcoal. As a hardy nitrogen-fixing legume it is also valued for greening eroded hill slopes and as an ornamental and shelter tree for its dense, showy spring bloom.

• Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
• Native region: south-eastern Australia
• Mature height: 7-15 m
• Growth rate: fast

The hard-coated seeds need pre-treatment: pour hot water over them and leave to soak as it cools for 12-24 hours, sowing those that have swollen. Sow about 1 cm deep in a well-drained nursery mix; germination typically takes 14-21 days. Pot on the seedlings and plant out into a cool, sunny position once they are sturdy.