01-ACACIA LONGIFOLIA subsp. sophorae (Labill.) Court
Local names: Austrilian babul, Golden wattle
Family: Mimosaceae
Location: In front of Campus Masjid, in front of Principal’s quarter.
Characters: Golden wattle occurs as both a shrub or tree that can reach a height of up to 8 m (26 ft). It has smooth to finely fissured greyish coloured bark and glabrous branchlets that are angled towards the apices. Like most speciesof Acacia it as phyllodes rather than true leaves. It blooms between June and October in its native range producing, simple inflorescences that occur singly or in pairs in the phyllode axils on stalks The cylindrical flower-spikes have a length of 2 to 4.5 cm (0.79 to 1.77 in) packed with bright to pale yellow coloured flowers.
General use: Its uses include prevention of soil erosion, food (flowers, seeds and seed pods), yellow dye (from the flowers), green dye (pods) and wood. The flower colour derives from the organic compound kaempferol. The tree's bark has limited use in tanning, primarily for sheepskin. It is useful for securing uninhabited sand in coastal areas, primarily where there are not too many hard frosts. In Tasmania the ripening pods were roasted and the seeds removed and eaten.