Acacia Holosericea, Strap Wattle - 0.5 kg Seeds

Acacia holosericea, the strap wattle or silver-leaf wattle, is a fast-growing large shrub or small tree distinguished by its broad, silvery, silky-haired phyllodes and bright yellow flower spikes. It has been introduced to India for use on hot, dry and degraded sites where few other trees establish quickly.

It is planted mainly for fuelwood, soil reclamation and sand-dune and wasteland stabilisation, rapidly providing ground cover and, as a nitrogen-fixing legume, improving impoverished soils. Its handsome silvery foliage and dense, spreading habit also make it useful as an ornamental screen and windbreak in arid landscaping.

• Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
• Native region: northern Australia
• Mature height: 3-8 m
• Growth rate: very fast

The small hard seeds respond well to a hot-water treatment: pour near-boiling water over them and soak as it cools for 12-24 hours, then sow those that swell. Sow about 1 cm deep in a light, well-drained nursery mix; germination is usually 7-14 days. Grow on in poly bags and plant out with the first monsoon rains.