Focus on Wattle Seed

  • Published: 12 Dec 2014

  • Author(s): RIRDC

  • ISBN: 978-1-74254-739-8

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This fact sheet is part of a 13-part native food series.

While there are hundreds of species of wattle found in Australia, few have the intensity of flavour and large, easily processed seed of the elegant wattle, which is the most commonly used for commercial purposes. Other species with good potential include Acacia murrayana, pycnantha, retinodes, rivalis, saligna, microbotrya and jennerae (Maslin et al 1999).

The flowers of this evergreen, multi-stemmed tree are cream coloured and occur from August to December, depending on the growing area. The round seeds mature between November and January and are borne in papery, oblong pods on the outside of the tree canopy.