All The Types of Acacia Wood Explored
Acacia wood is valued for its color and versatility. It is one of the most beautiful woods used for home improvement, carpentry, and other projects. It’s a little more expensive than some others, but the visual aesthetic is worth the extra cost. Acacia comes from the Acacia tree. There are many different varieties of this hardwood that grows wild in Australia, it’s country of origin. Acacia has spread throughout the world and is grown in Pacific Rim countries, Africa, and other areas. It is also called Wattle, Thorntree, and Mimosa. There are approximately 1,200 different kinds of Acacia wood varieties. All types of diverse wood are fire-resistant. Here is an explanation of the most common types of Acacia wood to help you find the most suitable for your projects.
1. Acacia Melanoxylon
Home Stratosphere explains that Acacia Melanoxyon is also called Tasmanian Blackwood, Acacia Blackwood, and Australian Blackwood. The trees are native to the Southeastern regions of Australia and Tasmania. The trees grow between 65 yo 100 feet in height at maturity. This is one of the least expansive types of Acacia wood. The color of this variety ranges from a medium gold color to a reddish-brown. Some trees produce wood that looks like koa wood. Ribbon-looking steaks of color cut through the growth rings, giving this wood an interesting appearance. The rings contrast in their colors. Australian Blackwood may have a straight or wavy grain with occasional interlocking patterns. It is resistant to decay but requires treatment with sealant for outdoor use because of its vulnerability to insects. It’s commonly used for cabinets, gun stocks, cabinets, veneers, furniture, and other wooden items.
2. Acacia Koa
Acacia Koa is also known as Hawaiian Koa. It grows wild in Hawaii to a height between 65 to 100 feet. Hawaiian Koa is the most expensive type of Acacia wood in the world because of its high hardness density and beautiful wood grain patterns. It looks a lot like mahogany wood with colors ranging from reddish-brown to gold and amber tones. Most Koa wood has a combination of colors with a ribbon pattern that is curly and interlocked. it’s hard to cut this wood without damaging the surface because of the way the wood grows, but once cut, it is easy to finish.
3. Acacia Confusa
This variety of Acacis is also known as Small Philippine Acacia, Formosan Koa, Formosa Acacia, Small Leaf Acacia, and Acacia Petit Feuille. The trees grow wild in Southeast Adia up to 49 feet in height at maturity. It is a dense and durable wood that is commonly used for support beams and other carpentry uses. It is also burned as fuel or used to make charcoal, wood flooring, and musical instruments. The color of the heartwood is rusty red to chocolate brown with younger trees ranging from golden yellow to off-white. It is harder than maple and oak.
4. Acacia Tortilis
Acaccia Tortilis is also known as Umbrella Thorn Acacia. It grows wild in Somalia, Sudan, Sahel, and Savannah of Africa, reaching a maximum height of 69 feet. The trees are also referred to as Vachellia Tortilis. The trees create a canopy that makes them look like an open umbrella. It is believed to be the type of wood used to build the Ark of the Covenant, referred to in the Bible. It is a durable wood that is used in building projects, to make tools, weaponry, and decoration. It is also used to make charcoal, firewood, pens and cages, fences, wagon wheels, furniture, and more.
5. Acacia Dealbata
Acacia Dealbata grows wild in The Australian Capital Territory including Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania, reaching a maximum height of 100ft tall. It is also called Blue Wattle, Silver Wattle, and Mimosa. It’s one of the largest Acacia tree species with wood that ranges in color from light golden brown to hone with a pink tint. The grain is straight with a porous and even texture. Most timber features a striped pattern because of the growth rings with birds-eye and tiger stripes common. The wood is easy to work by machine or by hand because of its medium density. It’s commonly used by interior decorators and furniture designers as an alternative to Blackwood Acacia. It is used for everything from structural carpentry projects to wood flooring, furniture, and art pieces.
6. Acacia Peuce
Acacia Peuce is commonly referred to as Waddi or Waddywood. it grows wild in Central Australia growing to 49 to 59 feet in height at maturity. The heartwood of Acacia Peuce is a deep purplish-brown color with nearly black streaks. The sapwood is light yellow. The grain is medium texture, straight, and uniform. It has a high density and is among the hardest Acaccia woods, making it difficult to work with. The wood is decay-resistant and commonly used for construction projects. It is also used for carving. Historically, Aboriginal people used wood to create clubs called Waddi. That’s where the tree got its name.
7. Acacia Cambagei
Acacia Cambagei is also called Purple Gidgee or Stinking Wattle. It grows wild in Australia to heights between 20 to 40 feet at maturity. The heartwood is reddish-brown with chocolate brown streaks ranging from medium to dark. It is closed-grained and hard. The pattern is interlocking, sometimes curly, decay-resistant, and resistant to water and insects. They use it to make fence posts, charcoal, and fuelwood.
8. Acacia Baileyana
Acacia Balieyana is also called Cootamundra Wattle or Bailey’s Acacia. It grows 20 to 30 feet tall and is a native tree of the Southern part of New South Wales, Australia. It was introduced in Victoria and grows in the wild. The tree has a decorative aesthetic with a beautiful shape and gorgeous yellow flowers. It’s best as an ornamental tree versus its wood. Although beautiful, this tree is listed as an invasive species that can spread and choke out other plants. The heartwood is light pink. It works for constructing timber in mines and road verge. Australian Aborigines created weapons such as spears and shields. The bark is valued for its tannins.
9. Acacia Mangium
Acacia Mangium is a tree native to Papua, the Western Province of Papua, Eastern Maluku Islands, and Northeastern Queensland. It grows to heights between 65 to 98 feet tall. The wood is also called Black Wattle, Forest Mangrove, Mangium, and Hickory Wattle. Acacia Mangium is a hardwood that is not as dense as some other Acacia wood. The wood has a medium texture and a close grain pattern. The appearance of the wood is shimmery brown-yellow, like Hickory Wood. The heavy wood is resistant to cracking and warping. It gets used to make furniture, doors, windows, flooring, furniture, and construction components.
10. Acacia Aulicauliformis
Acacia Aulicauliformis grows wild in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. The trees grow to a height of 95 feet. It’s also called Northern Black Wattle, Auri, Earleaf Acacia, and Earpod Wattle. The center of the tree ranges from light brown to light red. The grain of the wood is straight. Acacia Aulicauliformis wood gets turned into fine furniture and other items. It’s also turned into tool handles, joinery, toys, carom, chess pieces, and construction. It also gets turned into pulp.
11. Acacia Acuminata
Acacia Acuminata is also known as Jam Wattle and Raspberry Jam because of the scent of raspberries that is pervasive when the wood is freshly cut. It also has the appearance of raspberry jam with a reddish-brown color and light yellow sapwood. It is a durable hardwood with a fine and uniform grain. The trees grow wild in Western Australia and reach a height between 10 to 23 feet tall at maturity. The wood is for turned objects, specialty wooden objects, fenceposts, and construction. The strong hardwood is not easy to work.
12. Acacia Homalophylla
Wood Database explains that Acacia Homalophylla is a tree that is native to Australia. It is also called Yarran. Yarran is a small tree that produces a dark brown and dense timer. Wood has a long history in Aboriginal culture. The people used it to make boomerangs, clubs, spears, and other weapons.
13. Acacia implexa
Acacia implexa is native to Eastern Australia. It is hardwood with a tight density. It is also called Lightwood. It is similar to Hickory Wattle and commonly used to make furniture, flooring, and construction components. It has similarities to Hickory Wattle and is referred to by this name.
14. Acacia Leiocalyx
Acacia Leiocalyx is also called Early Flowering Black Watter and Curracabah. The trees grow wild throughout Australia. The wood is exceptionally hard on the Janka scale. It is far denser than Acacia Implexa and most other types of Acacia Wood. The wood is dense in texture and dark-colored. It is similar to Acacia Concurrens. It’s also called Curracabah, but it’s a different species. You cannot find Curracabah for sale commercially. The most common use for this type of Acacia wood is for small specialty craft items.
15. Acacia Pendula
Acacia Pendula is also known as Weeping Myall or Myall. This tree grows prolifically throughout Australia. It is far harder and denser than most Acacia wood with a Janka Hardness of 3,180 lbf. The tree is small in size but exceptionally resistant to drought. The wood is dark brown in color and very heavy in weight. The trees are small. The size limits what the wood can be used for. It is not commercially harvested. Some people use this wood to make small craft items and for constructing shelters for livestock.
16. Acacia Mearnsii
Acacia mearnsii is also known as Black Watte. The trees grow wild in Australia, its country of origin. This species has been introduced throughout the world and maybe found anywhere. The trees grow from 20 to 65 feet high. The trunk diameter of 1 to 1.6 feet. It’s not as heavy or hard as some of the other Acacia woods. The heartwood ranges in color from light brown to pink. The sapwood is slightly lighter than the heartwood. The grain is uniform with a medium texture, natural luster, and interlocked. It’s vulnerable to insect damage and not resistant to rot. Black Wattle was first processed to produce tannins from the bark. It is considered an invasive species that take over areas where it grows. It makes exceptional flooring and tannins from the bark.
17. Acacia Pycnantha
Acacia Pycnantha is also known as Broad-leaved Wattle or Golden Wattle. The trees grow wild in Australia. it has a Janka hardness of 1,830 lbf. It is a beautiful tree that serves as the national floral emblem of Australia with its bright yellow flowers. Golden Wattle is used commercially for the tannin in its bark. Some wood becomes lumber for craft projects. Golden Wattle trees get used for the tannin in the bark.
18. Acacia Salicina
Acacia salicina is native to Eastern Australia. It is also called Willow Wattle and Cooba. The Janka hardness of this wood is 1,270. The trees are small, but they grow fast. The life of a Cooba is short-lived. The timer is lightweight but still hardwood. Cooba isn’t sold commercially. The wood does appear in the works of small woodcrafts.
19. Acacia Rhodoxylon
Acacia Rhodoxylon is native to Australia. It is a high-density wood that is strong and heavy. It’s also referred to as Spear Wattle and Ringy Rosewood. It got its name because of the appearance of the rings in the cut wood. The grain is a curly pattern called Rosewood, but it is not the standard Rosewood. It gets used in furniture, flooring, and construction. They call the trees Spear Wattle because Australian Aboriginal people used them to make spears and other primitive weapons.
20. Acacia Shirleyi
Acacia Shirleyi is also called Lancewood or Shirley’s Lancewood. This type of Acacia tree is native to the country of Australia. It is an exceptional hardwood with a Janka hardness of 3,350 lbf. It is also heavy. This type of wood is named to honor an educator and scientist named John Shirley. The trees are medium to small in size with dark-colored wood that is dense and durable.
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