The Australian blackwood is a fast-growing tree native to Australia, valued for its dense crown and its dark timber, highly prized in cabinet-making.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Fabales |
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Genus | Acacia |
| Species | Acacia melanoxylon |
It is a fast-growing evergreen tree that usually reaches between 8 and 20 metres in height, with a dense crown that is pyramidal to rounded in shape and greyish bark that cracks with age.
What look like leaves are in fact phyllodes: flattened, leathery, greyish-green leaf stalks, since in adult specimens the true compound leaves are reduced to these structures. Its flowers, gathered in small yellowish heads, give way to twisted brown pods.
It is native to eastern Australia and Tasmania, where it grows in humid, temperate forests. It was introduced to Europe and other regions as an ornamental and forestry species for its quality timber, and today it is widely grown in parks and gardens in Mediterranean climates.
Its scientific name, “melanoxylon”, literally means “black wood” in Greek, referring to the dark colour of its heartwood, highly valued in cabinet-making and instrument-making for furniture and musical instruments.
