Red-eyed wattle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red-eyed wattle
Scientific classification
Genus:	Acacia
Species:	cyclops
Occurrence data from AVH

The red-eyed wattle (Acacia cyclops), also known as the western coastal wattle, is a type of tree found in Australia. It belongs to the plant family called Fabaceae, which includes peas and beans. This tree is one of almost 1000 different kinds of Acacia trees in Australia.

You can find the red-eyed wattle growing along the west coast of Western Australia. It grows as far north as Jurien Bay. It also grows along the south coast and into South Australia.

What Does It Look Like?

Most wattle trees have flowers that are cream or golden in color. The red-eyed wattle is no different. Its small flowers grow in round clusters. When you look closely, you will see that only the male parts of the flower stick out.

The tree gets its name, "red-eyed wattle," from its seeds. Each seed has a bright red or orange structure attached to it. This structure looks a bit like an eye.

Uses and Challenges

The red-eyed wattle is a strong plant. It can be used to help keep sand in place along coastlines. Because of this, it was brought to Africa to help with sand erosion.

However, the plant spread very quickly in Africa. In South Africa, it became a serious problem. It is known there as 'rooikrans', which means 'red garland' in Afrikaans. It grows so fast that it can take over native plants.

Interestingly, the green seed pods of the red-eyed wattle have another use. You can crush them and mix them with water. This creates a natural soap that can be used for washing.

Images for kids

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  Sketch of Acacia cyclops phyllodes and flowers

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  Sketches of various Acacia including A. cyclops seed pod at bottom right

See also

In Spanish: Acacia cyclops para niños