Late Black Wattle, Acacia mearnsii, is a dark-green tree with black bark that grows to 15m tall. The seeds have an orange fleshy attachment that ants like to eat. The ants take the seed underground, eat the orange flesh, but cannot eat the hard black seed itself. When a fire passes over, the buried seed is gently baked, cracking open the hard shell and germinating the seed. All acacias are legumes which fix atmospheric nitrogen to the sol, therefore helping pioneer the ground for other plants. This makes them an important species for bush regeneration.

Mycorrhizal fungi attach the roots, and the fruiting bodies of these fungi are ‘truffles’ which Bandicoots especially love to eat. The cracks and crevices in the bark provide habitat for many insects, such as Butterfly and Moth larvae. Black Cockatoos strip the bark off to feed on these grubs.

The flowers produce nitrogen rich pollen, but no nectar. These attract pollen feeding birds such as Wattle Birds and some Honey Eaters. Nectar is produced in the leaf axils, which is eaten by ants, other insects, birds and marsupials.

Late Black Wattle is common along the coast between Sydney and Adelaide, typically in open forests and cleared areas. The examples photographed here were found alongside roads and tracks at Manna Park, such as opposite the Carpentry Centre.

Click on any of the pictures to download a higher resolution image (T.Hastings September 2009)