Leather Leaf Acacia, (A. craspedocarpa) is an excellent, descriptive name for this Australian native. Its common name is an accurate description on the leaves, which are oval shapes, thick and fairly stiff with a webbed network of raised veins. To the touch the leaves are course and brittle. In its native Australian habitat it is an understory plant along with Cassias and Acacia aneuras. In landscape settings its dense, upright branches form an erect, compact head that make it an ideal privacy screen or windbreak shrub. It can also be used as a background or foundation plant or as individual specimens. Mature plants may reach 9' to 12' and be 6' to 8' wide. It is used primarily as a large shrub or small tree in southwestern landscape designs where it can be planted closely to form a dense hedge or as individual specimens or small groupings. Tree forms can be achieved with proper pruning that exposes the branching pattern beneath the otherwise dense foliar canopy.

In spring individual, small, bright yellow, elongated rod flowers are produced. Tan-colored, flat, 2" long pods develop from the flowers. The botanical name probably is drawn from a description of these pods since crasped translates to broad in latin and carp refers to fruit. Leather Leaf Acacia is moderately cold hardy (15 to 20 F) and grows well in full and partial sun. It will tolerate a variety of soils but does best in well-draining soils.

Established plants are highly adapted to harsh summer conditions and can survive without supplemental irrigation. Watering once a month will ensure limited growth but more frequent irrigation is needed to achieve optimal growth, appearance and flowering. This plant grows slowly and in some landscape applications it may be desirable to install larger container sizes (15 gallon to 36" box) to get more immediate impact.

Specimens pruned into tree form can be used as individual specimens or in small groupings. Leather Leaf are most commonly uses an as informal hedge planting or as part of a landscape screen. Because the growth of established specimens can be easily regulated by irrigation practices, A. craspedocarpa offers a low maintenance alternative to Oleanders or other non-desert species used as landscape screens.