Tree ID Please (Acacia melanoxylon )

[Brian]

Hi last summer (2010) i found a seedling growing in the trunk of my newly imported tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) i took it out and potted it up and by spring 2011 it had grown to about 18" tall then i planted it out, and since spring it has shot up to about 7 foot tall but i have no idea what it is or how big it will grow so i am hoping one of you may know what it is

[Yorkshire Kris]

Acacia dealbata? perhaps.

[stephenprudence]

Yes Acacia dealbata is almost a certainty.

Edit: On second look the leaves are a little grey-green to be A. dealbata

either way, like Nigel says, nice freebie!

[Nigel Fear]

Looks more like Acacia melanoxylon to me, going by the different shape of the sapling leaves in the 1st. picture.
Nice freebie to have though.

[huporhaha]

Can't say for certain but defo. an acacia of some sort. Keep it out of strong winds and sub zero temps. and time will tell. A most welcome freebie!

[Conifers]

Looks more like Acacia melanoxylon to me, going by the different shape of the sapling leaves in the 1st. picture.
Nice freebie to have though.

Ditto to Acacia melanoxylon. Tough to get it to survive other than mild winters in Norfolk - if it had been out last winter, it'd have snuffed it.

Plenty of large specimens (to 27m tall) in Ireland, a handful in Cornwall, and a couple in western Scotland. But no others of any size elsewhere in Britain.

[Brian]

Thanks again guys, it certainly looks like the pictures of Acacia melanoxylon i have found on the net my next question is if it does survive our winters will it tolerate being pruned if it gets to big

[Nigel Fear]

I grow Acacia dealbata here, [or A.Mearnsii, which seems to be sold as dealbata everywhere], and find it responds well to a good prune in spring after flowering.

Best to do in spring or early summer as not only do they bleed sap, and could allow risk of infection if done later in the year, but the next years flower buds begin to form by late summer.