GOSSAMER WATTLE Seeds | Acacia floribunda

The seed of most, if not all, members of the Acacia genus has a hard seed coat and benefits from scarification before sowing to aide germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen. If they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seed coat being careful not to damage the embryo and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

Requires a sunny position. The plant is well adapted to grow on infertile sandy soils that are not adapted to conventional food crops, and can also grow in clay pans. Prefers a circumneutral soil, but can tolerate a pH ranging from 5.5 - 8.5. Established plants are drought tolerant. Acacia floribunda is a fast growing.

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria. These bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilised by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

The plant is valued by Koori people as a source of food, medicine and for the quality of its timber, used in the production of a range of tools and weapons.

The gum of a number of wattle varieties is edible, with the flavour akin to that of a mild sugary sweetness, which can become unpalatable when offset by high amounts of the plant’s tannin. The gum in some cases was utilised in the production of a medicinal drink, which served as remedy to coughs, colds and chest infections. Gum could also be applied directly to cuts and abrasions as an antiseptic preparation, either in a solid or powdered form.

Seed can be cooked. It can be eaten in the same ways as other small legume seeds and is also ground into a powder then used as a flavouring in desserts or as a nutritious supplement to pastries and breads. Traditionally, the dry seed was ground to a coarse flour, mixed with water and either eaten as a paste or baked to form a 'cake’.

The fat content is higher than most legumes with the aril providing the bulk of fatty acids present. These fatty acids are largely unsaturated. The seeds are low glycaemic index foods. The starch is digested and absorbed very slowly, producing a small, but sustained rise in blood glucose and so delaying the onset of exhaustion in prolonged exercise. The ground seed can be used to produce a high quality, caffeine-free coffee beverage.

Acacia floribunda contains between 0.3% - 0.5% of The Spirit Molecule alkaloid in the bark and between 0.2% - 0.4% in the phyllodes.