Australian golden wattle

Acacia pycnantha is a small evergreen tree of the legume family typically growing 3-8 m tall with a short, often crooked trunk and a spreading crown. Mature plants bear bright green, leathery phyllodes (modified petioles) rather than true leaves; the phyllodes are falcate to lanceolate, 9-15 cm long and 1-3.5 cm wide, with a prominent midvein and a small marginal gland near the base. Inflorescences are profuse axillary racemes of large, deep golden-yellow globular flower heads 7-10 mm across, each containing many small fragrant flowers. Pods are flattened, straight to slightly curved, 5-12 cm long, glabrous, and pale brown when mature. Native to south-eastern Australia in dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands, the species is the floral emblem of Australia and has been historically important commercially as a source of tannin-rich bark. Flowering occurs from late winter to spring.