The green and gold colours of the foliage and flowers has provided Australia's official colours. Callicoma has Acacia -like flowers but is not closely related to Acacia . This occurs in nodules on the roots of the plants. The plant family Mimosaceae takes its name from the Mimosa genus. The root nodules on the roots of a wattle can often be seen by removing a small plant from its container.
Australian acacias are generally small to large shrubs but there are a few which become large trees.
The individual flowers are very small but are arranged into rod-like or globular heads of a large number of flowers. Many Australians regard the flowering of wattles as signalling the coming of spring and it's true that many commonly grown species flower in late winter. However, it's equally true that a wattle can be found in flower somewhere at any time of the year. Phyllodes have a leaf-like appearance and can be enormously variable in size and shape. Many Acacia species occur in areas where bushfires are common, such as dry forests and woodlands.