Acacia paradoxa

Acacia paradoxa subsp. var.	Kangaroo thorn
File:Acacia armata C.jpg	Habit: shrub Height: ⇕ to Width: ⇔ to 10ft12ft 10ft12ft Height: ⇕ 10 ft to 12 ft Width: ⇔ 10 ft to 12 ft Lifespan: ⌛ perennial Origin: ✈ Poisonous: ☠ Bloom: ❀ early spring, mid spring, late spring, early winter, mid winter, late winter	Exposure: ☼ sun Water: ◍ Features: ✓ flowers Hidden fields, interally pass variables to right place Minimum Temp: ☃ °Fwarning.png"°F" is not a number. USDA Zones: 8 to 11 Sunset Zones: Flower features: ❀ orange, yellow
	Fabaceae > Acacia paradoxa var. ,

Acacia paradoxa is a plant in the Fabaceae family. Its common names include kangaroo thorn, prickly wattle, and paradox acacia. This is a large shrub up to 3 meters tall and wide. It is dense with foliage; the leaves are actually enlarged petioles known as phyllodes. They are crinkly and the new ones are covered in hairs. The bush is also full of long spines. It flowers in small, bright yellow spherical flower heads and the fruits are brown pods 4 to 7 centimeters long.

The spiny 'stipulles' which grow at the base of the phyllodes deter livestock from feeding on or too close to the plant.

Kangaroo thorn is widely spread across Australia, regenerating from seed after disturbances, such as bush fire. Small birds, including wrens, use this plant as shelter and dwelling, while it is relied upon as a food source for moths, butterfiles and other insects, and birds feed on its seeds.

This plant is native to Australia, but has been introduced to other continents. In the United States, kangaroo thorn is a well-known noxious weed in California.

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Acacia armata, R. Br. (A. undulata, Willd. A. paradoxa, DC. A. furcifera, Lindl. Mimosa paradoxa, Poir.). Kangaroo Thorn. Fig. 71. A spreading shrub 8-10 ft. wide, 7-11 ft. tall, with pendent finger-like branchlets: phyll. half-ovate, the straight edge hugging the st., the other edge more or less undulate; nerve excentric, ending in a pungent point; stipules reduced to slender spines about 1/4in. in length: fls. solitary on peduncles 3/4in. long; petals 5; sepals 5, more than one-half length of corolla: pods hairy, straight or slightly curled, in clusters of 2-5 or reduced to 1, l 1/2-2 in. long, 3/16in. wide; funicle silvery, as long as seed and enlarged to a cup-shaped aril; ripe Aug. Fls. Feb.-Apr.— A shrub with breadth often much greater than its height, sometimes 15-20 ft. across, hence suitable for large grounds and roomy corners. Makes a good hedge plant, and is also used to reclaim sand-dunes. It is a good rich green and withstands considerable dust and drought. There is a larger-lvd. form with fissured bark and more straggling habit. The phyll. is greener and more tender in texture than the type, and the fls. are larger. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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