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Acacia verticillata
Also called Creeping Moses, Prickly Mimosa, Prickly Leaved Wattle, Star Leaved Wattle, Whorl Leaved Acacia, Star Acacia
Prickly Moses is a spreading, evergreen shrub or small tree from south-eastern Australia, grown for its spiny foliage and yellow flower balls. It is tough and adaptable, but highly flammable and best kept away from houses in bushfire-prone areas.
Acacia verticillata (prickly Moses; prickly-leaved wattle; star-leaved acacia; prickly mimosa; whorl-leaved acacia) is a perennial shrub to small tree native to south eastern Australia.
A. verticillata is endemic to New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The species is a common understorey shrub in both wet and dry sclerophyll forests as well as scrub and heath. In coastal environments it will often have much wider leaves as opposed to the regular needle-like nature of inland specimens. The range of the plant extends from the Gulf St Vincent in South Australia throughout the south-eastern parts and into southern and south eastern Victoria and far south-eastern New South Wales and Tasmania including the islands in Bass Strait where it is situated in saline, riparian and submontane areas.
Prickly Moses is sold commercially for cultivation and can grow in full sun or part shade in a variety of locations including plains, hills and footslopes as a second line from the coast. It will grow in clay or loam soils that are alkaline, neutral or acidic and will tolerate drought, water logging and a moderate frost. It is regarded as an excellent habitat for birds but is highly flammable and not recommended for near houses in bushfire prone areas.
Acacia abbatiana · Acacia abbreviata · Acacia abrupta · Acacia acanthaster · Harrow Wattle · Acacia acellerata · Gold-dust acacia · Acacia aciphylla · Acacia acoma · Acacia acradenia · Strap Leaved Wattle · Acacia acuaria
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acacia verticillata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
