Acacia estrophiolata

[ahosey01]

I have not seen anyone else growing these before.  Also known as the Australian Ironwood, I have heard that they are painfully slow.  Funny thing is, mine has been planted only a few months and has already put out a significant amount of new growth.

The color and form are interesting and wild.  Similar to Acacia pendula or Acacia aneura, those are not actually leaves, but phyllodes - modified stems that photosynthesize in place of leaves:

[ahosey01]

Here is a photo of a larger, more mature specimen from Arid Zone's website:

[richtrav]

I know that tree at Arid Zone, I have a picture of it from 2009, it’s attractive and appears to be better suited to hot climates than Acacia pendula. There is also a similar acacia cultivated in Longreach Queensland that is something like estrophiolata. I’ve all but given up on Australian acacias here in South Texas.