Flora of New Zealand Series

Cootamundra wattle

Small to fairly large tree; twigs ribbed or rounded, moderately clothed in erect hairs. Lvs 2-pinnate, alternate, ± glabrous except for sparse short erect hairs on rachis; pinnae in 3-5 pairs; pinnules in 11-22 pairs, close set, glaucous, oblong, acute, entire, 4-6 × c. 1 mm; petioles 1-3 mm long; stipules inconspicuous; solitary glands present between each pair of pinnae except at base. Infl. of numerous, many-flowered, medium yellow, globose heads arranged in axillary racemes exceeding the lvs. Fls 5-merous, sessile. Pod glabrous, ± straight, 40-100 × (8)-10-20 mm; aril not folded, thickened below and to one side of seed.

N.: Piha (near Auckland City), Auckland City, local in Waikato, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Wellington Provinces; S.: established locally in Marlborough and N. Canterbury.

Victoria 1981

Waste places, scrubland.

FL Jun-Aug.

Cootamundra wattle is widely cultivated in N.Z. Naturalised plants have established from seed, although there are usually no more than a few trees at any locality. It is easily distinguished from other naturalised N.Z. wattles by the glaucous lvs with few, unequal pinnae. Cv. 'Purpurea' with purple-tinged lvs is widely grown, but does not appear to be naturalised. The sp. has been previously recorded in N.Z. as Acacia baileyana.