Acacia

Acacia ligulata, commonly known as umbrella bush, dune wattle or marpoo, is a dense, evergreen shrub or small tree of the family Fabaceae widespread across the arid and semi-arid interior of Australia, from Western Australia through South Australia and the Northern Territory to inland New South Wales and Queensland. It typically grows 1.5–4 m tall, forming a rounded, multi-stemmed crown with greyish-green foliage. Like most Australian wattles, its 'leaves' are actually phyllodes — modified petioles that take on the function of leaves; these are linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 3–10 cm long and 2–6 mm wide, slightly curved, with one to three prominent longitudinal veins and a small gland on the upper margin. Globular heads of bright yellow flowers, each containing 15–30 tiny five-petalled florets with numerous protruding stamens, are produced in short axillary racemes from late winter through spring. The fruit is a curved to twisted, leathery pod 4–10 cm long, constricted between the dark seeds, which bear a conspicuous bright orange-red aril.