River jam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Desert oak |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
coriacea
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
The Desert Oak (scientific name: Acacia coriacea) is a special tree found in Australia. People also call it by other names like river jam, wirewood, wiry wattle, or dogwood. Indigenous Australians have their own name for it: Gunandru. This tree belongs to the pea family, called Fabaceae.
What Does the Desert Oak Look Like?
The Desert Oak can grow quite tall, reaching about eight meters high. It usually has one or two main trunks. Instead of regular leaves, this tree has thick, leathery parts called phyllodes. These phyllodes are long and narrow, about 20 to 30 centimeters in length.
The flowers of the Desert Oak are bright yellow. They grow in small, round clusters, each about five millimeters wide. After the flowers, the tree produces seed pods. These pods are often curled up, but if you straighten them, they can be about 20 centimeters long. The pods are squeezed in between each seed.
For a long time, Indigenous Australians have used the seeds from this plant as a source of food.
Where Does the Desert Oak Grow?
The Desert Oak lives all across northern Australia. You can often find it growing as a tall tree along the banks of rivers. It also grows in other places. Sometimes, it appears as a wide, low tree behind sandy coastal dunes. You might also see it on plains covered with a spiky grass called 'spinifex'.
Different Kinds of Desert Oak
There are a few different types, or subspecies, of Acacia coriacea. These are:
- Acacia coriacea subsp. coriacea
- Acacia coriacea subsp. pendens
- Acacia coriacea subsp. sericophylla
