Acacia

The Acacia is a small species of tree commonly found throughout Sahul.

Description
The tree can grow up to 8 meters tall and 2 to 3 meters thick. It has a smooth grey coloured bark. Its distinctive red branches are upward and the tree is easily recognised by the canopy spreading out into a bulging shape. The acacia has flattened leaf stalks instead of true leaves with a sickle shape. These dark green leaf stalks are between 15 to 25 centimetres in length and 1 to 3.5 centimetres in width. Instead of the leaf stalks being under each other they're spread out more apart, so they can get catch as much rain as possible. The flowers of the acacia are pale yellow in colour and smell wonderfully. They are 6 to 13 millimetres in diameter. These flowers appear in the middle of the year and are followed by 5 to 8 centimetre long pale curved seed pods. Inside of these pods are oval shiny brown seeds high in proteins.

Variations
Many variations of acacia can be found in Sahul. From smaller shrub like plants with small flowers growing on them to a desert variation of the tree.

Usage
The seeds of the acacia are commonly grounded into flour which can be either turned into an edible paste or be baked into a delicious cake. The seeds themselves are also often used as a food reserve against famine as the hard coats of the seeds prevent them from going bad. The timber of the acacia is used to craft weapons and musical instruments. In addition the bark of the acacia is rich in tannin and is used to tan leather. Ointments made from the ground up leaf stalks and gum are used to treat haemorrhoids.