You are in Mulga Country!
The dominant shrub or small tree you encounter along the Adventure Way is an Acacia, commonly known as a Wattle. Specifically, it's the Acacia aneura which is native to these arid areas. Commonly known as mulga, they are mostly tall long-lived shrubs with a typical life span for a tree undisturbed by fire of the order of 200 to 300 years.
Its leaves are thick-skinned and are optimised for low water loss, with a high oil content. During dry periods, mulgas drop much of their foliage to the ground, which provides an extra layer of mulch and from where the nutrients can be recycled.
Mulga roots penetrate far into the soil to find deep moisture. The roots also harbour bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen and thus help deal with the very old, nutrient-poor soils in which the species grows.
Small bright-yellow flowers form spikes 1.5 to 2 centimeters long. Flowering may occur at any time of the year following suitable rains, however the principle flowering time is between March and October, with a peak in May.
Mulga is of great economic importance to the Australian pastoral industry. Despite containing considerable amounts of indigestible tannins, mulga leaves are a valuable fodder source, particularly in times of drought, as they are palatable to stock and provide up to 12% crude protein.
The seeds of Acacia aneura were once used to make seedcakes. The mulga apple is an insect gall commonly eaten by aboriginal people. Mulga tree gum (ngkwarle alkerampwe in the Arrernte language) is a type of lerp scale found on mulga branches. It provides a tasty, honey-like treat.
Wood from Acacia aneura stands up very well to being buried in soil, so it's used for posts. It is also good as firewood, and good-quality charcoal can be produced from it.
Mulga was a vital tree to indigenous Australians in Central Australia; the wood was a good hardwood for making various implements, such as digging sticks, woomeras, shields and wooden bowls.
Welcome to the Mulga Lands