Fast growing, profusely flowering wattle native to South-East Queensland and Northern NSW. Good screen plant, gap filler. Hardy in most situations. Usually a bushy shrub or small tree to 4-6 m high with attractive, weeping light green foliage. New growth is paler, sometimes reddish. In a revegetation site, Brisbane Wattle grows fast and responds well to being trimmed of lower branches, which concentrates growth in the canopy and makes it easier to prevent exotic, suffocating vines from taking hold. Acacia fimbriata is also known as Fringed Wattle because of the microscopic hairs along the phyllodes.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Flowers
Yellow perfumed ball-shaped flowers appear in profusion in late winter and spring. Flowers 5-merous; sepals about 3/4-united, often partially separating with age.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Seed pods
Tolerates damp conditions, common in moist sites (good riparian species) and also in open eucalypt communities. Has been listed as a fire retardant species. Seed pods are brown, flattish and 8 mm by 100 mm. Roasted seed tastes like a combination of hazelnut, chocolate and coffee according to Gardening Australia’s Colin Campbell. Food source for Australian King Parrot and Crimson Rosella (seeds) and caterpillars of Imperial Hairstreak Butterfly Jalmenus evagoras evagoras (leaves). Medium pollen source for bees.
References and Resources
World Wide Wattle “Create More Butterflies” by Frank Jordan and Helen Schwencke – This book contains over 250 full colour photos of butterfly lifecyles and caterpillar food plants for 48 different species of butterflies that occur in South-East Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Photo: Robert Whyte
