Acacia baileyana

2025-09-13T05:19:40Z

220.235.84.197: /* Distribution and habitat */ minor typo

{{Short description|Species of shrub}}
{{Speciesbox
|name = Cootamundra wattle
|image = Acacia baileyana.jpg
|genus = Acacia
|species = baileyana
|authority = [[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]<ref name="APC">{{cite web |title=''Acacia ausfeldii'' |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/58998 |publisher=Australian Plant Census |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name="APC" />
|synonyms =
*''Acacia baileyana'' var. ''aurea'' <small>[[Edward Edgar Pescott|Pescott]]</small>
*''Acacia baileyana'' <small>F.Muell.</small> var. ''baileyana''
*''Racosperma baileyanum'' (F.Muell.) [[Leslie Pedley|Pedley]]
}}
[[File:Acacia baileyana 3, Canberra ACT.JPG|thumb|Habit in [[Canberra]]]]

'''''Acacia baileyana''''', commonly known as '''Cootamundra wattle''', '''Bailey's wattle''' or '''golden mimosa''',<ref name="FoA">{{cite web |last1=Kodela |first1=Phillip G. |last2=Tindale |first2=Mary D. |editor-last1=Kodela |editor-first1=Phillip G. |title=Acacia baileyana |url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Acacia%20baileyana |publisher=Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref> is a species of flowering plant in the family [[Fabaceae]] and is [[endemic]] to a restricted area of [[New South Wales]], although it has become [[Naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]] in other parts of Australia. It is a shrub or tree with smooth bark, [[Pinnation#Iteration of divisions|bipinnate]] leaves with mostly two to four pairs of oblong to narrowly oblong leaflets, spherical heads of bright yellow flowers arranged in 8 to 36 [[raceme]]s in leaf axils, and straight, leathery [[Pod (fruit)|pods]] up to {{cvt|100|mm}} long.

==Description==
''Acacia baileyana'' is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of {{cvt|3–10|m}} and has smooth, grey or brown bark. Its leaves are more or less [[Sessility (botany)|sessile]], somewhat leathery, [[glaucous]] with mostly two to four pairs of oblong to narrowly oblong [[Pinna (botany)|pinnae]] {{cvt|5–8|mm}} long and {{cvt|0.7–1.0|mm}} wide. The flowers are borne in spherical heads in racemes in leaf axils, {{cvt|30–100|mm}} long and much longer than the leaves. The heads are on [[Peduncle (botany)|peduncle]]s {{cvt|3–7|mm}} long, each head {{cvt|3.5–7|mm}} long with 11 to 25 bright yellow to golden flowers. Flowering occurs from June to September and the pods are leathery, straight, more or less flat and straight-sided, {{cvt|30–100|mm}} long and {{cvt|7.5–15|mm}} wide.<ref name="FoA" /><ref name="www">{{cite web |title=''Acacia baileyana'' |url=https://worldwidewattle.com/speciesgallery/baileyana.php |publisher=World Wide Wattle |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="RBGS">{{cite web |last1=Kodela |first1=Phillip G. |title=''Acacia baileyana'' |url=https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Acacia~baileyana |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="RBGV">{{cite web |last1=Entwisle |first1=Timothy J. |last2=Maslin |first2=Bruce R. |last3=Cowan |first3=Richard S. |last4=Court |first4=Arthur B. |title=''Acacia baileyana'' |url=https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/238b3bfd-4a0c-4638-b928-485897ec580d |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
''Acacia baileyana'' was first formally described in 1888 by [[Ferdinand von Mueller]] on the ''[[Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria|Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria]]''.<ref name="APNI">{{cite web |title=''Acacia baileyana'' |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/rest/instance/apni/463268 |publisher=Australian Plant Name Index |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="F.Muell.">{{cite journal |last1=von Mueller |first1=Ferdinand |title=Descriptions of some hitherto unknown Australian plants. |journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria |date=1888 |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=168–172 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/109519#page/214/mode/1up |access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref> The [[specific epithet]] (''baileyana'') honour [[Frederick Manson Bailey]], who sent the [[Type (biology)|type specimens]] to von Mueller.<ref name="F.Muell." />

==Distribution and habitat==
Cootamundra wattle is endemic to the [[Temora, New South Wales|Temora]]-[[Cootamundra]] district where it grows in open forest, woodland and [[Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands|mallee]] in stony soils on creek flats and hilly country.<ref name="FoA" /><ref name="www" /><ref name="RBGS" /><ref name="anpsa">{{cite web |title=''Acacia baileyana'' |url=https://anpsa.org.au/plant_profiles/acacia-baileyana/ |publisher=Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) |access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref>

''Acacia baileyana'' is often naturalised on roadsides, along railways in disturbed bushland and in urban areas in all mainland states of Australia.<ref name="FoA" /><ref name=FB>{{FloraBase|name=''Acacia baileyana''|id=18285}}</ref> and is an environmental weed in some places.<ref name=FB>{{FloraBase|name=''Acacia baileyana''|id=18285}}</ref><ref name="DES">{{cite web |title=Species profile—''Acacia baileyana'' (Cootamundra wattle) |url=https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species-search/details/?id=14060 |publisher=Queensland Government Department of Education and Science |access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref>

== Uses ==
''Acacia baileyana'' is used in Europe in the cut flower industry. It is also used as food for bees in the production of honey.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uses of Australian Acacias |date=29 May 2013 |work=World Wide Wattle |url=http://www.worldwidewattle.com/infogallery/utilisation/summary.php}}</ref> American urban landscape designer [[Renée Gunter]] uses this plant in her South Los Angeles lawn as a drought-resistant alternative to thirstier plants.<ref>Lodi News-Sentinel, Oct 12, 2007, Bettijane Levine, Los Angeles Times, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=20071012&id=DP1RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hjQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5824,5222641 Drought resistant plants], Retrieved Aug. 18, 2007</ref>

==Use in horticulture==
This plant is adaptable and easy to grow. It has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref>{{cite web |title=''Acacia baileyana'' AGM |work=Plant Selector |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=2085 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224043928/http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=2085 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 24, 2012 }}</ref> Unfortunately, it has an ability to naturalise (i.e. escape) into surrounding [[bushland]]. Also, it [[hybrid (biology)#Hybrid plants|hybridises]] with some other wattles, notably the rare and endangered Sydney Basin species ''[[Acacia pubescens]]''.

A prostrate weeping form is in [[Plant cultivation|cultivation]]. Its origin is unknown, but it is a popular garden plant, with its cascading horizontal branches good for rockeries.<ref name=Stewart156>{{harvnb|Stewart|2001|p=156}}</ref> The fine foliage of the original Cootamundra wattle is grey-green, but a blue-purple foliaged form, known as 'Purpurea' is very popular.<ref name=Stewart157>{{harvnb|Stewart|2001|p=157}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
image:Cootamundra leaves and blossom.jpg|Leaf and blossom
image:Cootamundra wattle leaves 2.jpg|Fine detail of leaf
image:Cootamundra wattle leaves.jpg|Leaf with fingers for scale
Image:Acacia baileyana seeds.jpg|Seeds
Image:Acacia baileyana prostrate IGP email.jpg|Prostrate form in cultivation, [[Illawarra Grevillea Park]]
image:Acacia baileyana Los Angeles.jpg|Street tree, [[Los Angeles]]
Image:Acacia baileyana inflorescences Girraween National Park Wyberba Queensland 1980s IMG 0082 (4).jpg|Inflorescences and foliage
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Cited text===
*{{cite book |last=Stewart |first=Angus |author-link= Angus Stewart|title=Gardening on the Wild Side |year=2001 |publisher=ABC Books |location=Sydney |isbn=978-0-7333-0791-1 }}

{{Commons}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q9562555}}

[[Category:Acacia|baileyana]]
[[Category:Fabales of Australia]]
[[Category:Flora of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Australia]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1888]]

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Acacia baileyana