Family Mimosaceae
In Australia the best known members of this family are the acacias, or wattles, of which there are
about 950 species.
Characteristics
- ground covers to shrubs and tall trees
- leaves are bipinnate in seedlings and often are replaced by flattened modified leaf stalks
(phyllodes)
- flowers have four to five sepals and petals which are very small. Each flower has numerous
stamens
- flowers are grouped together into head, seen as fluffy balls or rods
- fruit is a legume (pod) containing several seeds
- are nitrogen fixing, colonising land after clearing or burning. They provide cover and extra
nitrogen to the soil for plants which are slower growing
- are quick growing and many species are short lived
single flower from an Acacia head
[see more on the genus Acacia]
