Wattle - Acacias of Australia vVARY

The Wattle - Acacias of Australia app (WATTLE ver. 3) enables users to identify wattle plants that occur anywhere in Australia or elsewhere in the world where they are grown. It includes 1,057 formally described species of Acacia, plus several hybrids and informal taxa of this genus. It also includes two species of Acaciella, four species of Senegalia and nine species of Vachellia that occur in Australia and which were previously included in Acacia.

WATTLE ver. 3 builds upon two previous versions of WATTLE, namely, the original version that was published in 2001 on CD and version 2 that was published in 2014 on the Lucidcentral website. Compared with earlier versions, which are no longer available, WATTLE ver. 3 contains more species, updated coding and new or updated descriptions for each taxon, together with photographs and improved distribution maps.

At the heart of WATTLE is a powerful Lucid identification key which helps people of all ages to quickly and accurately identify species. The key is a truly random access tool, one that allows users to enter, in any order, the characteristics of a specimen that they wish to identify. The key then lists those species possessing the characteristics nominated, rejecting those that do not match the criteria entered. By progressively providing additional characteristics about the unknown specimen, users can narrow the search, eventually ending up with just one or a few species.

The key provides context-relevant information (text and images) that assist users to correctly interpret the characteristics of the plant they are attempting to identify. For those who want information about the species that has been identified, WATTLE ver. 3 provides fact sheets containing illustrations, detailed descriptions, photographs and maps that can be accessed directly. Hyperlinks provide simple navigation between fact sheets of related or similar species.

WATTLE ver. 3 is jointly published by the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), Canberra, The Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (formerly CALM) and Identic Pty Ltd, Queensland. WATTLE complements the Flora of Australia (www.ausflora.org.au).