The golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha, is Australia's national flower.
It occurs naturally in the southern Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, western Victoria and southern inland areas of New South Wales. It has escaped in other parts of southern Australia.
In cultivation mature golden wattle plants are reasonably frost and drought tolerant, and withstand moderate coastal exposure. The specimen (see picture) in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney was planted in 1987.
Selection criteria
Native golden wattle occurrence in the Australian Capital Territory was the main criterion for choosing the floral emblem but other desirable features included horticultural merit and design potential, both in naturalistic and stylised representations.
Acacia pycnantha enjoyed popular acceptance as Australia's national flower for much of this century but it was not proclaimed as the national floral emblem until 1988, the year of Australia's bicentenary.
National Wattle Day
Acacia is the largest genus in the family Mimosaceae, the Mimosa family, which is mainly tropical and sub-tropical in distribution.
Acacia pycnantha, the golden wattle, is a shrub or small tree about 4 to 8 metres tall.
In 1992, September 1 was formally declared National Wattle Day.
(Source: Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Additional information from Australian National Botanic Gardens. Photograph courtesy of Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney.)
