Cinnamon Wattle is gentle tree with soft weeping branches. It got its name from the cinnamon like fragrance of its leaves. In 1995 a group of bushwalkers calling themselves the ‘Warrandyte Wanderers’ were on a bush walk in the Black Range State Forest near the Wilhelmina Falls. One of the walkers noticed a single red-flowering Acacia Leprosa amongst the usually yellow flowering wattle. 12 Cuttings were taken of the Cinnamon Wattle for propagation and only 3 cuttings survived. All three of the surviving cuttings were to be held by the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was later reported that the original plant died.

The walkers intrigue of this plant may have led to its survival and shows us how easy it is to lose the rare and beautiful flora of our delicate ecosystem when we do not care for it adequately.

The story of Cinnamon Wattle shines a light on rare flora and the joy it brings when we are lucky enough to stumble upon it. 

References: 

Brueggemeier. E 2008, Acacia leprosa and 'Scarlet Blaze’, Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants, Viewed 12 September 2020, <http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2008/dec08-2.html>.