Kingdom Plantae Family Fabaceae Scientific name Acacia coriacea | Order Fabales Genus Acacia Rank Species | |
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Similar Acacia colei, Acacia brachystachya, Acacia kempeana, Acacia complanata, Acacia murrayana | ||
Acacia coriacea, commonly known as river jam, wirewood, desert oak, wiry wattle or dogwood, is a tree in the family Mimosoideae of family Fabaceae. A. coriacea occurs throughout northern Australia, growing as a tall tree on the banks of rivers. It can also occur as a spreading, low tree behind coastal dunes and on 'spinifex' plains.
Contents
River jam grows to a height of about eight metres. It usually has just one or two main trunks. Like most Acacia species, it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. These are thick and leathery, between twenty and thirty centimetres long, and narrow. The flowers are yellow, and held in spherical clusters about five millimetres in diameter. The pods are usually curled up, but are around twenty centimetres long when straightened. They are greatly constricted between the seeds.
Common name issues
In some parts of A. coriacea's range the common name "desert oak" is prevalent, but throughout the larger part of that range this name is often applied to another tree, Allocasuarina decaisneana.
The name "Dogwood" is used for numerous plant species in Australia and elsewhere, see Dogwood (disambiguation).
Varieties
There are three subspecies.
Acacia coriacea subsp. coriacea Acacia coriacea subsp. pendens Acacia coriacea subsp. sericophylla
