Callicoma, is a plant genus that contains just one species, Callicoma serratifolia (Black Wattle), a tall shrub or small tree which is native to Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

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Description

Black Wattle can grow up to 20 metres in height, though in cultivation it is more likely to reach a height of between 6 to 10 metres with a 3 metre spread. It has lanceolate or elliptic leaves that grow up to 12 cm long and 5 cm wide with coarsely serrate margins. The upper side of the leaves are dark green, while the lower sides are white due to the presence of fine, white hairs

Tomentose

Tomentose is a term used to describe plant hairs that are flattened and matted, forming a woolly coating known as tomentum. Often the hairs are silver or gray-colored...

.The pale-yellow globular flower heads appear in late spring and early summer (November to December in Australia). These average 1.5 cm in diameter and have 1 to 2 cm long stalks

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...

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Taxonomy

The first published description of the species, in 1809, is attributed to H.C.Andrews. Despite the common name of Blackwattle, and a superficial resemblance to species in the genus Acacia

Acacia

Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...

, Callicoma is not closely related.

Distribution

It occurs within, and on the edges of, rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

  in near-coastal areas within New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 and south-east Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, mostly along drainage lines or near creeks.

Common names

Callicoma serratifolia is commonly known as Black Wattle, as it was used by early settlers in the Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 area to construct wattle and daub

Wattle and daub

Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...

 buildings. The species has a number of other common names include Callicoma, Butterwood, Silver Leaf, Silver-leaf Butterwood and Wild Quince

Wild Quince

Wild Quince may refer to one of several plant species:*Alectryon subcinereus, an Australian tree in the Sapindaceae family*Callicoma serratifolia, an Australian tree in the Cunoniaceae family...

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