Edible Plants of the World

Lancewood, Hickory Wattle, Thick-podded salwood

A tropical plant. It mostly occurs in the tropics in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea it occurs in the dry Western province regions. It prefers light soils in an open sunny position. It can resist drought and frost. But it grows better with extra water during dry periods. It mostly occurs in coastal regions up to 30 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Also known as:

Brown sandalwood, New Guinea red wattle, Northern golden wattle, Red wattle, Thick-podded salwood, Woodypod wattle

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does Lancewood grow?

Found in: Australia, China, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia, Thailand

Notes: There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae.

Status: It is used for food in Australia but it is not known if it is used for food in Papua New Guinea.

Growing Lancewood, Hickory Wattle, Thick-podded salwood

Cultivation: It is grown from seed. Seed need treatment to break the hard seed coat. Normally this is by putting the seeds in very hot water and letting the water cool down overnight then planting the seeds immediately. The pods occur in October to November.

Edible Uses: The young roots are roasted and eaten. The seeds are roasted and eaten.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Root - - - - - -

References

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World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew