THE green and gold of wattles has regularly been used to identify Australia in international competitions and with good reason - more than 1000 native species of the tree are found all over the continent, covering a wide range of climates and soil types.

But more recently, the iconic Australian tree – also known as Acacia (pronounced ‘uh·kay·shuh’) - has a gathering cohort of farmers and scientists interested in much more than just inspiring the nation’s sporting colours.