Plant of the Week: Earleaf Acacia (Acacia auriculiformis) INVASIVE EXOTIC

Earleaf acacia is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It is an attractive tree, and this is what led to its introduction to Florida as an ornamental in the early 1930s. The leaves are slightly ear-shaped (as seen by the photo); well they make me think of floppy dog ears at least! And the leaves are actually flattened leaf stalks called phyllodes.

Phyllodes are an adaptation seen in plants that grow and thrive in hot climates and aid the plants in surviving through droughts. It is a fast-growing plant that does well in disturbed areas but has also invaded Florida scrub, pinelands, and hammock areas. This plant is an ecological threat because of its ability to out-compete our natives as well as shade out some of our rare plants.

For more information, please visit one of the following webpages.
http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/pdfs/SP257/Acacia_auriculiformis%28SP257-074%29.pdf
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/acacia.htm