Acacia craspedocarpa

Acacia craspedocarpa, commonly known as hop mulga or the broad-leaved mulga, is a shrub or tree in the family Fabaceae native to central parts of western Australia.

Description
Hop mulga is a spreading or erect shrubby tree that typically grows to a height of 1.2 to 4 m but can grow as tall as 8 m. It has corky bark, scurfy branchlets with resinous ribs and dark red-brown coloured new shoots. Like most Acacia species, it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. These are thick and bluish green in colour with a length of 1.5 to 2.5 cm and a width of 8 to 12 mm. They have an orbicular to broadly obovate or oblong shape and have a rounded tip usually with three main longitudinal nerves. The simple inflorescences occur singly in the axils with cylindrical clusters that have a length of 12 to 20 mm and a diameter of 5 mm and are packed with yellow coloured flowers. The pods broad and flat seed pods that form after flowering resemble the pods of the hop plant.

Distribution
It is endemic arid to semi-arid areas in the Mid West and western Goldfields regions of Western Australia, it occurs in watercourses, on floodplains, on flats, in low-lying areas and alongside rivers goring in red clay or loamy soils or on alluvium and stony red earth.

Cultivation
The ornamental medium to tall plant is available commercially and grows well drained light to heavy soils in full sun or partial shade and is drought tolerant once it is established. It will also tolerate a light frost to around -8 C It is quite long lived and can grow well in a container.