Acacia murrayana
Acacia murrayana
Safety & Hazards
The seed of many Acacia species, including this one, is edible and highly nutritious, and can be eaten safely as a fairly major part of the diet. Not all species are edible, however, and some can contain moderate levels of toxins[ 1295 Title Acacia in Australia: Ethnobotany and Potential Food Crop Publication Janick (ed.), Progress in new crops pp 228-236, (1996) ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. Author Lister P.R.; Holford P.; Haigh T.; Morrison D.A. Website https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-toc.html Publisher ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. Year 1996 ISBN 0-9615027-3-8 Description ]. Especially when harvesting from the wild, especial care should be taken to ensure correct identification of any plants harvested for food[ K Title Plants for a Future Author Ken Fern Description Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips. ]. Especially in times of drought, many Acacia species can concentrate high levels of the toxin Hydrogen cyanide in their foliage, making them dangerous for herbivores to eat.
Botanical Description
Acacia murrayana is a single or multistemmed evergreen shrub or a tree with a spreading canopy; it usually grows up to 5 metres tall, sometimes reaching 8 metres. The plant can be single or multiple-stemmed from the base, sometimes producing suckers and forming colonies[ 286 Title Flora of Australia Publication Author Website http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource. , 1300 Title Australian Trees and Shrubs: Species for Land Rehabilitation and Farm Planting in the Tropics Publication Author Doran J.C.; Turnbull J.W. (Editors) Publisher Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Canbe Year 1997 ISBN 1-86320-127-0 Description A very informative book, rich in information about the uses, cultivation needs and very much more for over 160 species of Australian trees and shrubs. ]. Although it produces true leaves as a seedling, like most members of this section of the genus, the mature plant does not have true leaves but has leaf-like flattened stems called phyllodes[ 286 Title Flora of Australia Publication Author Website http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource. ]. The plant is a traditional food for the native Australians and has potential as a cultivated and also wild-harvested food. The wood is a very good fuel. The tree flowers freely and can be grown as an ornamental. The plant's capacity to regenerate vigorously both from seed and vegetatively suggests that it has a potential to become a weed on favourable sites[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ].