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CAT-00088

Raspberry jam wattle

Acacia acuminata

Raspberry jam wattle main photo

Catalog fields

Genus
Acacia
Photo
Not recorded
Edible
Yes
layout
double
Habitat
Often in gently undulating topography, growing in lateritic gravels or red-brown earths in low semi-arid woodlands and tall shrublands, and in clayey soils on flats and in red sands, often near intermittent streams. Information on the biological and ecological features, and the utilisation potential, of this species is given in B.R. Maslin and M.W. McDonald, AcaciaSearch: Evaluation of Acacia as a woody crop option for southern Australia, RIRDC Publication No. 30/017, 32–38 (2004).
Published
Yes
Food group
Nut / seed
Latin name
Acacia acuminata
Fruit photo
Not recorded
Plant title
Raspberry jam wattle
Source URLs
https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Acacia%20acuminata | https://tuckerbush.com.au/raspberry-jam-wattle-acacia-acuminata/ Open source ↗ Open source 2 ↗
Catalogue ID
CAT-00088
Mature width
3m
Native range
Occurs in southwestern Western Australia where it extends from just N of the Murchison River, S to Borden and E to Balladonia; outlying populations occur near Yalgoo and Paynes Find. The eastern boundary of the main area of occurrence abuts that of Acacia burkittii which is common in the adjacent arid zone. Incipiently adventive in some parts of Victoria.
Plant family
Fabaceae
Supplier SKU
Not recorded
Listing group
Nursery-listed / regional edible
Mature height
5m
Native states
WA
Original list
No
Research date
10/10/2026
Research notes
Profile enriched from botanical/nursery sources. Dimensions are unpruned regional estimates where available; missing measurements remain explicit. Seasons are regional guides and vary with climate, location, cultivar and plant maturity. Drought and cultivation guidance are qualitative garden inferences, not measured ratings.
Evidence status
Nursery food-use source; preparation detail review pending
Fruiting season
Summer pods.
Background photo
Not recorded
Edible component
Processed mature seeds
Flowering season
Spring.
Brief description
Small tree or shrub with narrow phyllodes and scented timber.
Drought tolerance
High once established.
Preparation notes
Species-specific edible seed use; mature seeds generally processed/roasted. Do not generalise to other wattles.
Flower description
Golden-yellow flowers in elongated rod-like spikes.
General cultivation
General guidance (qualitative): Trial full sun and very good drainage; humid summer conditions differ from native habitat.
Botanical description
Obconic shrub or tree (2–) 3–7 (–10) m high. New shoots with silky, yellow, appressed hairs. Branchlets ascending to erect, infrequently ± pendulous, glabrous. Phyllodes ascending to erect or spreading at various angles, linear to narrowly elliptic, flat, normally straight to shallowly curved, (5–) 8–15 (–18) cm long, (1.5–) 2–8 (–10) mm wide, tapered to a curved-acuminate to caudate, non-pungent, slender apex, bright green, glabrous except fimbriolate in upper c. ½, finely multistriate; midvein often the most prominent. Inflorescences simple, normally 1 or 2 in phyllode axils; spikes sessile, (7–) 10–30 mm long (dry), golden. Flowers mostly 4-merous; calyx dissected by ½ or more, with lobes usually narrow. Pods linear, flat but variably raised over seeds and straight-edged to constricted between them, (2–) 3–8 cm long, 2.5–7 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous-crustaceous, brown, clothed with sparse minute caducous hairs. Seeds longitudinal, oblong or elliptic to ovate, 2–4.5 mm long, 1.5–3 mm wide, compressed (1–2.5 mm thick), dark brown to black, shiny to slightly shiny; aril membranous, white or creamy white.
Other botanical names
Not recorded
Attracts birds and bugs
Native bees and insects visit flowers; canopy shelters birds.
Flora of Australia profile
https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Acacia%20acuminata Open source ↗
Fruit type and description
Dry seed pods containing mature edible seeds after correct processing.
Flora of Australia citation
B.R. Maslin & P.G. Kodela. Acacia acuminata. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Acacia%20acuminata (accessed 2026-10-14). Copyright Commonwealth of Australia; CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). HTML formatting removed; species-level context added where noted. Open source ↗ Open source 2 ↗
Flora of Australia retrieved
14/10/2026