Leatherleaf acacia is an attractive, gray-green shrub that is commonly trained to grow as a tree. This Australian native is as tough as its name implies. Here’s how to plant and care for this resilient tree.
Leatherleaf acacia (Acacia craspedocarpa) is an evergreen with small, flat, leathery leaves that start out tinged with copper, then turn gray-green. Plants have corky, gray bark and fuzzy yellow flowers in the spring.
This versatile plant naturally grows as a shrub that is often used as an informal hedge or is sometimes trained to grow as a patio tree. It grows slowly, and can be kept in a large container for many years.
Since it’s native to the harsh, dry deserts and shrublands of Western Australia, it’s as hardy as you’d expect. It tolerates southwest desert temperature extremes, aridity, and full sun. It’s so tough, it can be planted in the most inhospitable places, such as parking lots or median strips.
Why I Like This Plant
- Evergreen gray-green foliage
- Fuzzy yellow flowers in spring
- Extremely resilient and low maintenance
- No thorns, low litter, non-toxic
- Attracts bees, butterflies
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a leatherleaf acacia to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep your tree healthy and looking good… while minimizing maintenance for you.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Leatherleaf acacia should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 – 10. It thrives in extreme heat and survives temperatures down to 15℉.
Sun Exposure
Leatherleaf acacia is a sun-loving plant that thrives in full sun and even the reflected sun from a wall or building.
Size and Growth Rate
Leatherleaf acacia is a slow grower that reaches a mature size of 15’ high by 10’ wide. This plant’s growth rate somewhat depends on how much water it receives.
Unlike many acacias, which only live 20 to 40 years, leatherleaf acacia is relatively long-lived.
Soil
Leatherleaf acacia grows well in any alkaline native soil — rocky, sandy, or clay — provided it’s well-draining.
Leatherleaf Acacia:
The Essentials
| Common Name | Leatherleaf acacia |
| Scientific Name | Acacia craspedocarpa |
| Origin | Australia |
| Plant Type | Evergreen shrub/tree |
| USDA Zones | Zones 8 – 10 |
| Cold Hardiness | To 15℉ |
| Flower Color | Yellow |
| Flower Season | Spring |
| Mature Size | 15’ high x 10’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, reflected sun |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Garden Friendly | No thorns, non-toxic |
| Wildlife | Attracts butterflies, bees Deer resistant |
How to Plant
The rule of thumb when planting any shrub or tree in the desert is to dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper. As tempting as it is to add amended soil, this is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with only native soil helps your plant develop a better root system.
When to Plant
The best time to plant leatherleaf acacia is in the fall. This gives your plant three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.
The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives your plant time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.
How to Care for Leatherleaf Acacia
Whether you’ve recently planted a new leatherleaf acacia or have an existing one in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water
As an Australian desert native, leatherleaf acacia’s water needs are low, but plants still need watering, especially while getting established.
There are two factors to consider when watering any desert shrub.
- First is how often to water. This will vary with the seasons.
- Second is how much water to give your plant with each watering. This depends on its current size.
To determine the ideal watering schedule for any desert shrub, you’ll find everything you need to know, including easy-to-use charts, at How to Water Desert Shrubs: How Often? How Much?
Should You Fertilize?
There is no need to fertilize leatherleaf acacia which evolved to grow in poor desert soil. And since this tree is a member of the legume family (Fabaceae), it fixes nitrogen, which naturally improves the surrounding soil.
How to Prune
Since leatherleaf acacia is such a slow grower, it rarely needs pruning unless you want to grow it as a tree.
If you chose to shape it as a tree, I urge you to hire a certified arborist (NOT a landscaper) to prune it. Correctly shaping a new tree is a special skill — it’s easy to go wrong and ruin the shape forever. The good news is that since your tree will grow very slowly, you won’t have to have it pruned very often.
Plant Lover Facts
Leatherleaf acacia is sometimes spelled as two words (leather leaf) or hyphenated (leather-leaf). Leatherleaf acacia also goes by the names hop mulga and broad leaved mulga. Mulga is the Aboriginal word “dream seed.”
(Don’t confuse this plant with mulga — another Australian acacia that’s grown in the US southwest as a landscape tree.)
Leatherleaf acacias don’t have leaves — they have phyllodes which are flattened leaf stalks that look and function like leaves. Phyllodes are common in acacias, especially the Australian species.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for 15 years.
Photo Credits
Gardenology.org, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
“My Phyllodes or Yours” by Anne Reeves is licensed under CC BY 2.0