When in flower, the golden wattle displays the national colours, green and gold.
The golden wattle is an evergreen, tall shrub or small tree. It can grow to 8 metres tall and lives up to 12-15 years. It grows in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Golden wattle flowers in late August to September and seeds in late December. The golden wattle starts flowering at about three years of age and each fragrant, bright golden blossom is made up of 40-80 small flowers.
Indigenous Australian’s found many uses for the golden wattle, from firewood, to medicines and edible seed and gum. Its seed is edible, high in protein and gluten-free, like many Acacia species. (Note: Not all Acacia species are safe to eat).
The bark from golden wattle was a very important ‘wattle of commerce’ in colonial Australia. Bark strippers and settlers stripped the bark from golden wattles to supply hundreds of leather-making tanneries across South Australia, Victoria and NSW. Acacia pycnantha is one of the many Acacia species included in rehabilitation plantings and sowings to restore eroded land.
About wattles
Wattles (Acacia species) form the largest group of woody plants in Australia. There are more than 1,000 Acacia species and they grow across every state and territory of Australia. Wattles have adapted to withstand Australia's infertile soils, droughts and bushfires. They are adaptable and resilient and have become a unifying symbol of Australian identity and connection to country.
In recent times, the golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection. On national days of mourning, for example, Australians are invited to wear a sprig of wattle.
Wattle has appeared on Australian stamps, coins, bank notes and the Order of Australia insignia and as a feature on some national service medals in the Australian honours system.
Acacias are described as insect-pollinated because their large, heavy pollen needs to be carried from blossom to blossom for pollination to occur. As a result, the pollen of Acacia species is unlikely to float around into people’s airways to cause allergic reactions such as hay fever or asthma.
National Wattle Day
The first day of September is National Wattle Day and was officially proclaimed on 23 June 1992. This brought the celebration of wattle days on different dates across Australia into one national day.
Australians can celebrate their floral heritage each National Wattle Day. They can do this by planting wattles, going on nature walks or learning about their many uses and characteristics that allows them to survive and thrive on this land.
Proclamation
The then Governor-General, the Rt Hon Sir Ninian M Stephen AK GCMG GCVO KBE, proclaimed the golden wattle as the national floral emblem on 19 August 1988.
Use of the national floral emblem
Permission is not required to reproduce the national floral emblem.