Acacia Auriculiformis

Acacia Auriculiformis or Dal Moth is an evergreen fast growing tree which quickly reaching to a height of 40 ft and a spread of 25 feet making it a favourite landscaping shade tree chioce for many architects and Landscapers today. It grows in warm climate under both dry and moist climate but more better in moist climate. It has dense foliage with an open, spreading crown. The trunk is crooked and the bark vertically fissured. Roots are shallow and fast spreading. The Bark is Grey Brown in colour, smooth at first and becomes fissured later on. Easyily propogated from seed, the flower is yellow in colour, fragrant, upto 100 tiny flowers crowded together in elongated spikes and can be seen around the rainy seasons of Delhi. Profuse flowering occurs in Sept-Oct, but occasional blooms are observed any time between March and December. Fruit pods green at first, becoming intricately coiled and almost woody when ripe, pods split open on the Tree. The leaves are leathery which can adopt the hot, arid climate conditions. The generic name acacia comes from the Greek word ‘akis’ meaning a point or a barb and the specific epithet comes from the Latin ‘auricula’- external ear of animals and ‘forma- form, figure or shape, in allusion to the shape of the pod. This plant is raised as an ornamental plant, as a shade tree and it is also raised on plantations for fuel wood. Its wood is good for making paper, furniture and tools as it grows 6-8 ft per year. However, it has brittle wood and weak branch crotches, and the tree can be badly damaged during very high wind storms. Prune branches so there is a wide angle of attachment to help them from splitting from the tree. Also be sure to keep the major branches pruned back so they stay less than half the diameter of the trunk. These techniques might increase the longevity of existing trees.