SPINY WATTLE

(Acacia spinescens)

(Photos: E. Cousins, habitat, stems and flowers; Cape Jervis)

These shrubs were flowering spectacularly around Cape Jervis in September. The half-ball flowers are bright yellow, and cling to the branches with not much stalk visible. They contrast brilliantly with the grey-green branches. Touch the end of a branch and you will quickly learn where the name of this wattle comes from… there is a sharp tip to each branch! In fact, the whole shrub is quite rigid. You’ll notice something else about this shrub; there aren’t any ‘true’ leaves. So it really is quite an architectural plant for your garden. They will grow from shin-high at Cape Jervis to waist-high further from the coast.