Acacia hubbardiana - Yellow Prickly Moses - A small upright shrub to 4 to 6 feet tall with reddish stems and half inch long sharp tipped triangular shaped bright green leaves (phyllodes) and from these phyllode bases near the branch tips arise short branched axillary stalks bearing clusters of fluffy cream-colored flowers in late winter and spring that have a faint sweet aroma.
Plant in full to part sun in a relatively well-drained soil and irrigate regularly to infrequently. Drought tolerant once established but also tolerant of moist soils and cold tolerant down to around 25° F and useful in USDA Zones 9b-11. This is a very nice smaller acacia that makes a nice specimen in the garden or as a container plant.
Acacia hubbardiana occurs naturally in coastal lowlands in Queensland, Australian from Bundaberg to near Brisbane where it can be found on rocky slopes, in poorly draining soils or swamplands and in open forests.
The name for the genus comes either from the Greek word "akazo" meaning "to sharpen" or from the Egyptian word "akakia", a name given to the Egyptian Thorn, Acacia arabica. The specific epithet given to this plant in 1969 honors the British botanist Charles Edward Hubbard, who collected plants extensively in Queensland for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. It is also called Hubbard’s Wattle and the name "prickly moses", which is used for several other acacia with sharp tipped phyllodes is thought to be a corruption of "prickly mimosa". We thank Jo O'Connell of Australian Native Plant Nursery for introducing us to this plant and for allowing us to use her picture of it on this page.
The information about Acacia hubbardiana displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |