Acacia estrophiolata


Acacia estrophiolata, commonly known as ironwood, southern ironwood, desert ironwood or utjanypa, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Central Australia. It is a graceful, glabrous tree with linear to very narrowly elliptic phyllodes, spherical heads of cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers, and firmly papery, flat pods.

Description

Acacia estrophiolata is a graceful, glabrous tree that typically grows to a height of and has pendulous branchlets when mature. Its phyllodes are linear to very narrowly elliptic, straight to slightly curved, long and wide, thinly leathery pale green and glabrous with 3 or 4 main veins and a gland above the base of the phyllode. Its flowers are borne in one or two spherical heads in axils on a peduncle long. The heads are in diameter with 30 to 35 densely clustered, cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers.

Taxonomy

Acacia estrophiolata was first formally described in 1882 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Southern Science Record from specimens collected near the Finke River by Hermann Kempe.
It is closely related to Acacia excelsa and more distantly related to Acacia dolichophylla.

Distribution and habitat

This species of wattle commonly grows on sandy alluvial flats as scattered trees, but also in tall open shrubland and open woodland. It is found in the Central Ranges, Finke, Great Victoria Desert and Stony Plains bioregions of South Australia, southern parts of the Northern Territory and the Central Ranges, Gascoyne, Great Sandy Desert and Tanami bioregions of Western Australia.

Uses

Food

Traditionally, Aboriginal Australians would use the gum from the tree as a sweet bushtucker treat. Its name in the Arrernte language of Central Australia is Ngkwarle athenge arlperle. It is still sometimes eaten today. The gum is snapped off the branches, either clear or red. It is then ground and mixed with a little water, then left to set again to a chewable gum, and eaten with a small stick.

Forage

The tree makes good forage for livestock. The seeds are edible and are 28.9% protein.

Traditional medicine

Parts of the tree are used topically to treat skin problems such as burns, cuts, scabies, sores and it is also used for treating major wounds. It is used as a lotion to treat eye problems.

Wood

The wood is very hard and it is good for making posts for fences.