The Hickory Wattle, Acacia falciformis, is recognised by the curved Phyllodes (like leaves), which have a prominent vein down the middle.

They may be seen as a dense shrub or tree as tall as 12m. The example photographed here is prostrate (laying down), which may be due to being blown over by wind when it was young, or because it grew reaching out to the sunlight.

The Hickory Wattle has two adaptations to surviving fire:

1/ The small, hard, black seeds have a very tough coating. The baking heat of a fire can crack the shell open, germinating the seed and making it ready to grow.

2/ They can reproduce from roots (sometimes called suckering, or re-sprouting) after the rest of the tree has been burnt away.

This example was photographed between the Carpentry Centre and the Hostel at Manna Park, at map coordinates 58 532, 19 272 (T. Hastings 28/8/2009).

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