The Acacia or more commonly known as the Wattle plant, with more than 850 species growing in Australia, with more found in Africa, Asia, Europe and North & South America, spreading its floral beauty and healing worldwide.
Wattle Tree Meaning Australia
The word Wattle is an old English word meaning interlaced rods and twigs. Early shelters for the European settlers in Australia were made out of wattle branches from the black wattle or Acacia mearnsii and mud.
Allowing protection from the elements in our harsh sometimes unforgiving climate. Later they would discover that this particular wattle also produces high amounts of tannin in its bark, which is widely used for the tanning of leather. An industry in high demand at this stage in history.
Wattle Tree Flower uses and benefits
The Acacia varies greatly in size from species to species, they range from ground covers, and shrubs to small & large trees. Almost all are distinguishable by their golden yellow globular flowers except for a few, two of which are the Acacia purpureopetala.
North Queensland, Australia has mauve-pink flowers and another from South Australia Acacia gilbertii which flowers white. This fascinating plant only has soft feather-like leaves when it is young, as they mature they form phyllodes, losing its leaves altogether. The foliage is generally either blue-green or silver-grey.
Although there has been an ongoing botanist debate concerning the reclassification of some species into five separate genera due to structural differences, ( a lot of species in Africa, for example, have thorns etc. ) it is still ongoing.
Acacia trees have a few fascinating defence systems in place, one of these is to produce gum from its bark when animals graze against them for protection. The scent of the gum travels through the air, causing other acacias in the vicinity to start excreting gum a very handy early warning system.
Another strange Acacia phenomenon is located in Costa Rica these swollen thorn Acacia offer the Acacia ants a home, protein & carbohydrates in their hollow thorns and in return the ants defend the plant against herbivores. The plant controls the ant population by how much sugar it excretes for them to feast on.
Indigenous Australians had many uses for the wattle tree, most of the plant is used to make a variety of things including, sticks for digging, clap sticks, spear throwers, axe handles, shields, boomerangs, firewood, glue from the bark, dyes, spiritual ceremonial headdresses, seeds were ground with water to make a paste eaten fresh or cooked to make a damper like food.
Medicinal uses and benefits
Teas could be brewed from specific parts of the roots, leaves & bark to treat colds, flu, sore throats, fever, headaches, stomach pains toothaches. The gum excreted from the wattle tree bark was also used, put in water with a high nectar flower such as the bottle brush to make a natural cordial drink. The Acacia kempeana is also the native home of the witchetty grub a great source of protein for the indigenous people.
Commercially today the Acacia family has many uses. It is used for erosion control revegetation programs and landscaping. Used in gums, soft drinks, candies, foods, paints, inks cosmetics & hair dyes just to name a few. The wattle tree wood is used for firewood and furniture, the flowers for perfume and the bark produces tannin.
This awesome plant can not only thrive in arid climates and bushfire-prone zones but it also naturally absorbs nitrogen and bacteria from the soil allowing a natural cleansing. An amazingly tough and resilient plant.
Definitely appropriate for Australia’s floral emblem. Wattle Day is on September the 1st, I know after learning about this fascinating plant I will take the time on that day to be grateful for the amazing natural world, specifically the beautiful Acacia. – © Sentient Metaphysics