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Re: Acacias (was "Mimosa")

Reply-To: SAOUC@UCCMVSA.UCOP.EDU
Sender: owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
From: "Sean O'Hara" <SAOUC@UCCMVSA.UCOP.EDU>

This is a reply to Sean O'Hara who wrote:

>On the topic of Acacias, I've been trying to help a friend find some
>species with the distinctive flat-topped 'savanna' look for a
>planting he is doing for a local zoo.  Does anyone have information
>on any of the following species, or any other exhibiting this
>distinctive growth pattern?:
>
>Acacia erioloba - Camel Thorn
> A.    tortilis heteracantha - Umbrella Thorn
> A.    xanthophloea - Fever Tree
> A.    sieberiana woodii - Paperbark Thorn

>This last species is perhaps the most striking - if anyone knows of
>seed availability, I'd be most interested.  It is native to woodland
>and grasslands from Natal, Zululand, Swaziland to Transvaal,
>Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.  It has an attractive corky, yellow
>green stem with peeling bark, feathery light green foliage and
>flowers heavily with creamy white to pale yellowish balls.

Sean, I grow several of these species, A. xanthophloea and A. sieberiana
woodii, included. In this climate (Southern California) they demand a
substantial amount of water in summer, which is their growth season, if you
want to see good growth. Without it they grow fairly slowly, certainly in
comparison with many of the Australian Acacias. However, they will survive
great drought once they get their roots down. They also want high
temperatures in summer. They tolerate some frost, perhaps five to ten
degrees F below freezing without real damage. Overall, they are good trees
if you are happy letting them grow gradually into the handsome forms they
usually assume. In this climate with its dry summers it is unlikely they
will seed themselves so freely as to be a pest. I like their stiff
architecture with green stems, sometimes peeling. Beware of the thorns. A.
erioloba, a particularly drought dolerant species, is utterly ferocious. If
you want to see handsome specimens visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park
just outside Escondido.
Regarding seed I cannot help as mine have not yet produced any. However, if
you approach Bruce Hubbard (619 756 1000) I believe he will have young
trees available of several species including A. xanthophloea and A. karroo.
It is his home. Tell him I sent you!



Andrew
San Diego, California
awilson@fia.net
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