Scientific: Acacia pendula
Common: Weeping acacia, weeping myall
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Origin: Inland areas of Northern Victoria, New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia.
Pronounciation: A-KAY-sha pen-DU-la
Hardiness zones:
Sunset 13-24
USDA 9-11
Landscape Use: Weeping acacia is an upright accent tree because of its form and line characteristics. Like Acacia salicina, it's useful as either a single or multiple trunk tree in narrow vertical spaces. It is best used as a patio tree, streetscape tree, silhouette tree, building foundation tree, background, or screen in xeric and oasis landscapes themes. Great for either residential or commercial landscape plantings.
Form & Character: Strongly pendulous or weeping providing a strong vertical form, yet often variable in shape because of seed propagation, paradoxically graceful and brittle.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, woody, broadleaf perennial tree, slow to moderate growing, upright to 25- to 40-feet tall (often shorter in Phoenix) with a greater than equal spread.
Foliage/texture: Almost linear, glaucous, gray-blue phyllodes to 5-inches long, densely arrayed on the stem and persistent, trunk generally grayish brown, smooth when young, weak wooded and stiff; medium fine texture.
Flowers & fruits: Pale yellow flowers in sparse globular heads on slender peduncles in the phyllode axils. Fruits are a pod of variable length 1- to 3-inches long.
Seasonal color: Very modest color accent created by flowers in late summer and autumn into early winter.
Temperature: Cold hardy to 20oF.
Light: Full sun
Soil: This tree REQUIRES a well-drained soil.
Watering: Infrequent deep irrigations and use supplemental water schedules to control growth rate. Don't over water!
Pruning: Must elevate canopy base strongly to desired height training rigorously when young to establish upright habit.
Propagation: Seed, dip seeds in very hot water and let them stand overnight before sowing. Alternatively, mechanically scarify seeds by rubbing them against sand paper to remove the waterproof coat or acid scarify.
Disease and pests: Numerous root rot pathogens infect plant if soil is excessively wet or poorly drained leading to sudden death.
Additional comments: Weeping acacia is a nice, moderate- to slow-growing tree for line and/or textural accents. It's an appropriate tree to soften the harsh lines of big blocky buildings or create that pendulous feeling of cascading down.
