Australian Acacia Species in Europe

At least 316 Australian Acacia species (‘wattles’) are known to have been introduced into Europe since the late 1700s. Most of these species are found only occasionally in gardens, others may have not survived in the environment, some are used for gardening, perfume or the cut-flower industries, 13 species are considered naturalized and ten are invasive. The uses and propensity for invasiveness of wattles are not uniform across Europe. In general, in central and northern Europe some species are mostly used as ornamentals. For example, A. baileyana and A. dealbata are frequently used in the UK and Switzerland but seldom persist in the wild. In south-western and Mediterranean Europe, especially in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, several wattle species have naturalized and became invasive, notably A. dealbata, A. longifolia, A. mearnsii, A. melanoxylon and A. saligna. For the European Union, only A. saligna is included in the List of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern under the European Union Regulation No. 1143/2014. However, in Portugal all Acacia species are classified as invasive, and in Spain a few species are also listed as invasive in national legislation. In France and Italy, although several species are invasive, wattles are cultivated for the cut-flower and perfume industries. This chapter summarizes the introduction history, current status and the present or future uses of wattles in Europe.