| General Description | A large shrub or small tree, with spiked flowers that bloom along the branches. Elongated, dark green leaves, that are narrow and have pointed tips. The plant often self layers, where low lying branches touch the ground and root, these layers may be detached and replanted. |
| ID Characteristic | Sydney Golden Wattle has bright spiked yellow flowers that bloom in winter and spring. It has dark green phyllodes with parallel veins that can be as long as 5-20 cm. |
| Shape | A rather unkempt and loosely formed plant. |
| Landscape | Sydney Golden Wattle can be planted as a hedge, small tree or large shrub, excellent for use in erosion control. |
| Propagation | Easily propagated by seed placed in boiling water for 12-24 hours, (allowing the water to cool during this period) and then sown before the seeds dry out. Seed may be sown at any time of year although spring sown seed seems to yield slightly more significant results. Once seedlings have produced their true leaves they may be pricked off into pots and transplanted according to growth rate.
Cutting using half-ripened lateral shoots in mix of equal parts sand and peat/compost and placed in a heated greenhouse under moist shade; cuttings are slow to root.
Selected plants can also be approached grafted onto A. retinoides seed raised stock that is 18-24 months old and about 30 cm in height. Once the graft has taken remove the top growth from the under stock the following spring. |
| Cultivation | Prefers sandy and clay soils with a pH level of 5.5-7 with full sun. Frost tolerant. |
| Pests | No major pests or diseases but may have problems with gall wasps. |
| Notable Specimens | Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, California, United States of America.
Desert Botanical Garden, Arizona, United States of America. |
| Habitat | River and marsh edges in sunny locations. |
| Bark/Stem Description | The bark has a smooth texture, is greyish-brown with the branches angling towards the apices. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | The buds are small, greenish-yellow, globular clusters on inflorescence. The inflorescence can be as long as 2-10 mm and can contain as many as 6-20 globular clusters. Robust, waxy, stout and sparely hairy or smooth. |
| Leaf Description | The leaves are known as phyllodes. The bright green phyllodes can get up to 5-20 cm long. The leaves have 2 prominent veins and are narrowly elliptic in shape, alternating along the branches. |
| Flower Description | Bright, yellow, rod shaped flowers, bloom heavily in winter and early spring. The flower stalks can be as long as 3-6 mm, appearing along the branches producing 40-80 flowers and on each branch. |
| Fruit Description | Seed pods are 50-130 mm long and 5-7 mm wide. The pods split open when ripe and will reveal a row of hard, dark brown seeds. The seeds can be viable for up to 50 years. |
| Colour Description | Dark green leaves, bright yellow flowers with a greyish- brown bark. The seeds pods are a dark brown and the buds are greenish-yellow. |
| Texture Description | Coarse. |
