Editing Acacia sensu lato

{{Short description|Genus of legumes}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = ''Acacia s.l.''
| image = Acacia greggii thorns.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Senegalia greggii]]'' (syn. ''A. greggii'')
| taxon = Acacia
| authority = [[Philip Miller|Mill.]]<ref>[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?26 Genus: Acacia Mill.] – Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)</ref><!---1754--->
| type_species = ''Acacia nilotica'' (until 2005)<br />''Acacia penninervis'' (post 2005)
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
About 1,300; see [[List of Acacia species|list of ''Acacia'' species]]
}}

'''''Acacia [[sensu lato|s.l.]]''''' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|k|eɪ|ʃ|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|k|eɪ|s|i|ə}}), known commonly as '''mimosa''', '''acacia''', '''thorntree''' or '''wattle''',<ref name=carr>{{cite journal |last1=Carruthers |first1=Jane |last2=Robin |first2=Libby |title=Taxonomic imperialism in the battles for Acacia: Identity and science in South Africa and Australia |journal=Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa|date=February 2010 |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=48–64 |doi=10.1080/00359191003652066 |bibcode=2010TRSSA..65...48C |s2cid=83630585 |doi-access=free }}</ref> is a [[Polyphyly|polyphyletic]] genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the [[subfamily]] [[Mimosoideae]] of the family [[Fabaceae]]. It was described by the [[Sweden|Swedish]] botanist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1773 based on the [[Africa]]n species ''Acacia nilotica'', now classified as ''[[Vachellia nilotica]]''. Many non-[[Australia]]n species tend to be [[Thorns, spines and prickles|thorny]]. Most Australian acacias are not. All species are [[legume|pod-bearing]], with sap and leaves often bearing large amounts of [[tannin]]s and [[condensed tannin]]s that historically found use as pharmaceuticals and preservatives.

The genus ''Acacia'' constitutes, in its traditional circumspection, the second largest genus in Fabaceae<ref name="thie">{{cite journal |last1=Thiele |first1=Kevin R. |last2=Fnk |first2=Vicki A. |last3=Iwatsuki |first3=Kunio |last4=Morat |first4=Philippe |last5=Peng |first5=Ching-I |last6=Raven |first6=Peter |last7=Sarukhán |first7=José |last8=Seberg |first8=Ole |title=The controversy over the retypification of Acacia Mill. with an Australian type: A pragmatic view |journal=Taxon |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=194–198 |issn=0040-0262 |url=http://www.iapt-taxon.org/historic/Congress/IBC_2011/Acacia_pragm.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.iapt-taxon.org/historic/Congress/IBC_2011/Acacia_pragm.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |date=February 2011 |access-date=6 November 2015|doi=10.1002/tax.601017 }}</ref> (''[[Astragalus (plant)|Astragalus]]'' being the largest), with roughly 1,300 [[species]], about 960 of them native to Australia, with the remainder spread around the tropical to warm-[[temperate]] regions of both hemispheres, including [[Europe]], Africa, southern [[Asia]], and the [[Americas]] (see [[list of Acacia species|List of ''Acacia'' species]]). The genus was divided into five separate genera under "[[Mimosoideae]]". The genus now called ''[[Acacia]]'' represents the majority of the Australian species and a few native to [[Southeast Asia]], [[Réunion]], and the [[Pacific Islands]]. Most of the species outside Australia, and a small number of Australian species, are classified into ''[[Vachellia]]'' and ''[[Senegalia]]''. The two final genera, ''[[Acaciella]]'' and ''[[Mariosousa]]'', each contain about a dozen species from the [[Americas]] (but see "[[#Classification|Classification]]" below for the ongoing debate concerning their taxonomy).
[[File:Acacia Negev.JPG|thumb|''Acacia'' tree near the limit of its range in the [[Negev]] Desert of southern [[Israel]]]]
[[File:Acacia pycnantha Golden Wattle.jpg|thumb|Golden wattle ''([[Acacia pycnantha]]''), the [[floral emblem]] of [[Australia]]]][[File:Acacia sp. MHNT.BOT.2009.13.18.jpg|thumb|Seed pods of ''Acacia'' species from the [[MHNT]]]]

==Classification==
{{see also|List of Acacia species}}
English botanist and gardener [[Philip Miller]] adopted the name ''Acacia'' in 1754. The generic name is derived from {{lang|el|ἀκακία}} ({{Transliteration|el|''akakia''}}), the name given by early Greek botanist-physician [[Pedanius Dioscorides]] (middle to late first century) to the medicinal tree ''[[Acacia nilotica|A.&nbsp;nilotica]]'' in his book ''[[Materia medica|Materia Medica]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Acacia-nilotica.htm |title=''Acacia nilotica'' (acacia) |work=Plants & Fungi |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=28 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100112043913/http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Acacia-nilotica.htm |archive-date=2010-01-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This name derives from the [[Ancient Greek]] word for its characteristic thorns, {{lang|el|ἀκίς}} ({{Transliteration|el|''akis''}}; "thorn").<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=esMPU5DHEGgC |first=Umberto |last=Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names |volume=1 A-C |year=2000 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-2675-2 |page=6}}</ref> The species name ''nilotica'' was given by [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] from this tree's best-known range along the [[Nile]] river. This became the [[type species]] of the genus.

The traditional circumscription of ''Acacia'' eventually contained approximately 1,300 species. However, evidence began to accumulate that the genus as described was not [[Monophyly|monophyletic]]. Queensland botanist [[Leslie Pedley]] proposed the [[subgenus]] ''Phyllodineae'' be renamed ''Racosperma'' and published the binomial names.<ref name=maslin>{{cite book |last1=Maslin |first1=Bruce R.|title=Classification and phylogeny of ''Acacia''. In: Evolution of ecological and behavioural diversity: Australian Acacia thrips as model organisms. |date=2004 |publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study and Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO |pages=97–112 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265445928 |access-date=5 November 2015}}</ref><ref name=bol>{{cite book |last1=Boland |first1=D. J. |title=Forest trees of Australia |date=2006 |publisher=CSIRO Publ. [u.a.] |location=Collingwood, Vic. |isbn=978-0-643-06969-5 |page=127 |edition=5th}}</ref> This was taken up in [[New Zealand]] but generally not followed in [[Australia]], where botanists declared more study was needed.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}
 
Eventually {{When|reason=This whole paragraph needs to be accurately dated|date=February 2025}}, consensus emerged that ''Acacia'' needed to be split as it was not monophyletic. This led to Australian botanists [[Bruce Maslin]] and Tony Orchard pushing for the retypification of the genus with an Australian species instead of the original African type species, an exception to traditional rules of priority that required ratification by the International Botanical Congress.<ref name=Smith>{{cite journal |author1=Gideon F. Smith |author2=Estrela Figueiredo |year=2011 |title=Conserving ''Acacia'' Mill. with a conserved type: What happened in Melbourne? |journal=Taxon |volume=60 |issue=5 |pages=1504–1506|hdl=2263/17733 |doi=10.1002/tax.605033 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> That decision has been controversial,<ref name=thie/><ref name=Kull>{{cite journal|author1=Christian Kull |author2=Haripriya Rangan |year=2012 |title=Science, sentiment and territorial chauvinism in the acacia name change debate |journal=Terra Australis |volume=34 |pages=197–219 |url=http://press.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ch091.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://press.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ch091.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |access-date=September 29, 2015}}</ref> and debate continued, with some taxonomists (and many other biologists) deciding to continue to use the traditional ''Acacia sensu lato'' circumscription of the genus,<ref name=Smith/> in defiance of decisions by an International Botanical Congress.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Anders Backlund |author2=Kåre Bremer |year=1998 |title=To be or not to be – principles of classification and monotypic plant families |journal=[[Taxon (journal)|Taxon]] |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=391–400 |jstor=1223768 |doi=10.2307/1223768}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Anastasia Thanukos |year=2009 |title=A name by any other tree |journal=Evolution: Education and Outreach |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=303–309 |doi=10.1007/s12052-009-0122-7|doi-access=free }}</ref> However, a second International Botanical Congress has now confirmed the decision to apply the name ''[[Acacia]]'' to the mostly Australian plants, which some had been calling ''Racosperma'', and which had formed the overwhelming majority of ''Acacia sensu lato''.<ref name="acacia">{{cite web |title=Wattles – genus ''Acacia'' |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/acacia/ |publisher=Australian National Herbarium |access-date=October 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223141/http://www.anbg.gov.au/acacia/ |archive-date=August 2, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="acaciaresolution1">{{cite web |title=The Acacia debate |url=http://worldwidewattle.com/infogallery/nomenclature/nameissue/melbourne-ibc-2011-congress-news-tuesday-26-july.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://worldwidewattle.com/infogallery/nomenclature/nameissue/melbourne-ibc-2011-congress-news-tuesday-26-july.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=IBC2011 Congress News |access-date=May 5, 2016}}</ref><ref name="acaciaresolution2">{{cite web |title=Conserving ''Acacia'' Mill. with a conserved type: What happened in Melbourne? |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iapt/tax/2011/00000060/00000005/art00033 |publisher=Taxon |access-date=May 5, 2016}}</ref> Debate continues regarding the traditional acacias of Africa, possibly placed in ''[[Senegalia]]'' and ''[[Vachellia]]'', and some of the American species, possibly placed in ''[[Acaciella]]'' and ''[[Mariosousa]]''.

Acacias belong to the subfamily [[Mimosoideae]], the major clades of which may have formed in response to [[Desiccation tolerance|drying]] trends and [[fire regime]]s that accompanied increased seasonality during the late [[Oligocene]] to early [[Miocene]] (~25&nbsp;[[Mya (unit)|mya]]).<ref name=bouch>{{cite journal |last1=Bouchenak-Khelladi |first1=Yanis |last2=Maurin |first2=Olivier |last3=Hurter |first3=Johan |last4=van der Bank |first4=Michelle |title=The evolutionary history and biogeography of Mimosoideae (Leguminosae): An emphasis on African acacias |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=November 2010 |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=495–508 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.019 |pmid=20696261 |bibcode=2010MolPE..57..495B }}</ref> Pedley (1978), following Vassal (1972), viewed ''Acacia'' as comprising three large subgenera, but subsequently (1986) raised the rank of these groups to genera '''''Acacia''''', ''[[Senegalia]]'' (''s.l.'') and ''Racosperma'',<ref name=maslin /><ref name=bol /> which was underpinned by later genetic studies.

In common parlance, the term "acacia" is occasionally applied to species of the genus ''[[Robinia]]'', which also belongs in the [[pea]] family. ''[[Robinia pseudoacacia]]'', an American species locally known as black locust, is sometimes called "false acacia" in [[Plant cultivation|cultivation]] in the [[United Kingdom]] and throughout Europe.

==Description==

[[File:Acacia facsiculifera seedling.jpg|thumb|''[[Acacia fasciculifera]]'' seedling in the transitional stage between pinnate leaves and phyllodes]]
The leaves of acacias are compound [[pinnate]] in general. In some species, however, more especially in the Australian and [[Pacific Islands]] species, the leaflets are suppressed, and the leaf-stalks ([[Petiole (botany)|petioles]]) become vertically flattened in order to serve the purpose of leaves. These are known as "[[phyllode]]s". The vertical orientation of the phyllodes protects them from intense sunlight since with their edges towards the sky and earth they do not intercept light as fully as horizontally placed leaves. A few species (such as ''[[Acacia glaucoptera]]'') lack leaves or phyllodes altogether but instead possess [[wikt:cladode|cladodes]], modified leaf-like [[photosynthesis|photosynthetic]] stems functioning as leaves.

The small flowers have five very small petals, almost hidden by the long [[stamens]], and are arranged in dense, globular or cylindrical clusters; they are yellow or cream-colored in most species, whitish in some, or even purple (''Acacia purpureopetala'') or red ([[Acacia leprosa 'Scarlet Blaze'|''Acacia leprosa'' 'Scarlet Blaze']]). ''Acacia'' flowers can be distinguished from those of a large related genus, ''[[Albizia]]'', by their stamens, which are not joined at the base. Also, unlike individual ''[[Mimosa]]'' flowers, those of ''Acacia'' have more than ten stamens.<ref>{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Gurcharan|title=Plant Systematics: An Integrated Approach|publisher=Science Publishers|year=2004|page=445|isbn=978-1-57808-351-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=In_Lv8iMt24C}}</ref>

The plants often bear spines, especially those species growing in arid regions. These sometimes represent branches that have become short, hard, and pungent, though they sometimes represent leaf-[[stipule]]s. ''[[Acacia armata]]'' is the kangaroo-thorn of Australia, and ''[[Acacia erioloba]]'' (syn. ''Acacia eriolobata'') is the camelthorn of Africa.

Acacia seeds can be difficult to germinate. Research has found that immersing the seeds in various temperatures (usually around 80&nbsp;°C (176&nbsp;°F)) and manual seed coat chipping can improve growth to around 80%.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=J Clemens |author2=PG Jones |author3=NH Gilbert |year=1977|title=Effect of seed treatments on germination in Acacia|journal=Australian Journal of Botany |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=269–276 |doi=10.1071/BT9770269|bibcode=1977AuJB...25..269C }}</ref>

==Symbiosis==
[[File:Acacia collinsii3.jpg|thumb|''[[Acacia collinsii]]'' stipules]]
[[File:Acacia drepanolobium MHNT.BOT.2011.3.97.jpg|thumb|Swollen stipules of ''Acacia drepanolobium'' that serve as ant [[domatia]]. An entry hole can be seen at the base of one of the spines of the largest domatia. From the [[MHNT]]]]
In the [[Central American]] bullthorn acacias—''[[Acacia sphaerocephala]]'', ''[[Acacia cornigera]]'' and ''[[Acacia collinsii]]'' — some of the spiny stipules are large, swollen and hollow. These afford shelter for several species of ''[[Pseudomyrmex]]'' ants, which feed on [[Extrafloral nectary|extrafloral nectaries]] on the leaf-stalk and small [[lipid]]-rich food-bodies at the tips of the leaflets called [[Beltian body|Beltian bodies]]. In return, the [[ant]]s add protection to the plant against [[herbivore]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Heil |first=Martin |author2=Sabine Greiner |author3=Harald Meimberg |author4=Ralf Krüger |author5=Jean-Louis Noyer |author6=Günther Heubl |author7=K. Eduard Linsenmair |author8=Wilhelm Boland |year=2004 |title=Evolutionary change from induced to constitutive expression of an indirect plant resistance |url=http://agritrop.cirad.fr/520973/ |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=430 |issue=6996 |pages=205–208 |bibcode=2004Natur.430..205H |doi=10.1038/nature02703 |pmid=15241414 |s2cid=4416036|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Some species of ants will also remove competing plants around the acacia, cutting off the offending plants' leaves with their jaws and ultimately killing them. Other associated ant species appear to do nothing to benefit their hosts.

Similar mutualisms with ants occur on ''Acacia'' trees in Africa, such as the [[whistling thorn]] acacia. The acacias provide shelter for ants in similar swollen stipules and nectar in extrafloral nectaries for their symbiotic ants, such as ''Crematogaster mimosae''. In turn, the ants protect the plant by attacking large mammalian herbivores and stem-boring beetles that damage the plant.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Palmer|first=T.M.|author2=M.L. Stanton|author3=T.P. Young|author4=J.R. Goheen|author5=R.M Pringle|author6= R. Karban|s2cid=32467164|title=Breakdown of an ant-plant mutualism following the loss of large herbivores from an African savanna|journal=Science|volume=319|issue=5860|pages=192–195|doi=10.1126/science.1151579|pmid=18187652|date=January 2008|bibcode = 2008Sci...319..192P }}</ref>

The predominantly herbivorous spider ''[[Bagheera kiplingi]]'', which is found in Central America and Mexico, feeds on nubs at the tips of the acacia leaves, known as Beltian bodies, which contain high concentrations of protein. These nubs are produced by the acacia as part of a symbiotic relationship with certain species of ant, which also eat them.<ref>Meehan, Christopher J.; Olson, Eric J.; Curry, Robert L. (21 August 2008): [http://eco.confex.com/eco/2008/techprogram/P12401.HTM Exploitation of the ''Pseudomyrmex''–''Acacia'' mutualism by a predominantly vegetarian jumping spider (''Bagheera kiplingi'')] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201153140/https://eco.confex.com/eco/2008/techprogram/P12401.HTM |date=2019-12-01 }}. The 93rd ESA Annual Meeting.</ref>

==Pests==
In Australia, ''Acacia'' species are sometimes used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of [[Hepialidae|hepialid]] [[moth]]s of the [[genus]] ''[[Aenetus]]'' including ''A.&nbsp;ligniveren''. These burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. Other [[Lepidoptera]] larvae which have been recorded feeding on ''Acacia'' include [[brown-tail]], ''[[Endoclita|Endoclita malabaricus]]'' and [[turnip moth]]. The leaf-mining larvae of some [[Bucculatricidae|bucculatricid]] moths also feed on ''Acacia''; ''Bucculatrix agilis'' feeds exclusively on ''[[Acacia horrida]]'' and ''Bucculatrix flexuosa'' feeds exclusively on ''[[Acacia nilotica]]''.

Acacias contain a number of [[organic compound]]s that defend them from pests and grazing animals.<ref name="chem">{{cite web |url=http://uvalde.tamu.edu/pdf/chemtdaf.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515034950/http://uvalde.tamu.edu/pdf/chemtdaf.pdf |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Chemistry of Acacia's from South Texas |author1=T. D. A. Forbes |author2=B. A. Clement |publisher=[[Texas A&M University]] |access-date=June 12, 2013}}</ref>

==Uses==

===Use as human food===
[[Image:Acacia dealbata seeds.jpg|thumb|''[[Acacia dealbata]]'' seeds]]

[[Acacia seed]]s are often used for food and a variety of other products.

In [[Myanmar]], [[Laos]], and [[Thailand]], the feathery shoots of ''[[Acacia pennata]]'' (common name ''cha-om'', ชะอม and ''su pout ywet'' in Burmese) are used in [[soups]], [[curries]], [[omelettes]], and [[stir-fries]].

===Gum===
Various species of acacia yield gum. True [[gum arabic]] is the product of ''[[Acacia senegal]]'', abundant in dry tropical West Africa from [[Senegal]] to northern [[Nigeria]].

''[[Acacia nilotica]]'' (syn. ''Acacia arabica'') is the gum arabic tree of [[India]], but yields a gum inferior to the true gum arabic. Gum arabic is used in a wide variety of food products, including some soft drinks<ref name=test>{{cite web |url=https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=1&productId=480288 |title=Powerade Ion4 Sports Drink, B Vitamin Enhanced, Strawberry Lemonade |publisher=Wegmans |access-date=2013-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215194222/https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=1&productId=480288 |archive-date=2012-02-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and confections.

The ancient Egyptians used acacia gum in paints.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.ca/dp/product-description/0609803670 |title=Excerpt from A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Fifth Edition (Paperback) Amazon.com |publisher=Amazon.ca |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref>
[[File:Acaciasap.jpg|thumb|Sap, from which gum can be made, oozing from an ''Acacia'' tree in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]]]
The gum of ''[[Acacia xanthophloea]]'' and ''[[Acacia karroo]]'' has a high sugar content and is sought out by the [[lesser bushbaby]]. ''Acacia karroo'' gum was once used for making confectionery and traded under the name "Cape Gum". It was also used medicinally to treat cattle suffering poisoning by ''[[Moraea]]'' species.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciakar.htm | title=Vachellia karroo {{pipe}} PlantZAfrica.com | access-date=2015-05-20 | archive-date=2015-09-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074115/http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciakar.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Uses in folk medicine===
''Acacia'' species have possible uses in [[folk medicine]]. A 19th-century Ethiopian medical text describes a potion made from an Ethiopian species (known as ''grar'') mixed with the root of the ''tacha'', then boiled, as a cure for [[rabies]].<ref>Richard Pankhurst, ''An Introduction to the Medical History of Ethiopia'' (Trenton: Red Sea Press, 1990), p. 97</ref>

An [[astringent]] medicine high in [[tannin]]s, called [[catechu]] or cutch, is procured from several species, but more especially from ''[[Senegalia catechu]]'' (syn. ''Acacia catechu''), by boiling down the wood and evaporating the solution so as to get an extract.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/usdisp/uncaria-gamb.html |title=An OCR'd version of the US Dispensatory by Remington and Wood, 1918 |publisher=Henriettesherbal.com |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/V8879E/v8879e05.htm |title=Cutch and catechu plant origin from the Food and Agriculture (FAO) department of the United Nations. Document repository accessed November 5, 2011 |access-date=November 5, 2011 |archive-date=February 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210133448/http://www.fao.org/docrep/V8879e/V8879e05.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The catechu extract from ''A. catechu'' figures in the history of chemistry in giving its name to the [[catechin]], [[catechol]], and [[catecholamine]] chemical families ultimately derived from it.

===Ornamental uses===
A few species are widely grown as ornamentals in gardens; the most popular perhaps is ''A. dealbata'' (silver wattle), with its attractive glaucous to silvery leaves and bright yellow flowers; it is erroneously known as "mimosa" in some areas where it is cultivated, through confusion with the related genus ''Mimosa''.

Another ornamental acacia is the [[Acacia xanthophloea|fever tree]]. Southern European florists use ''A. baileyana'', ''A. dealbata'', ''A. pycnantha'' and ''A. retinodes'' as cut flowers and the common name there for them is mimosa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwidewattle.com/schools/uses.php |title=World Wide Wattle |publisher=World Wide Wattle |date=2009-09-07 |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref>

Ornamental species of acacias are also used by homeowners and [[landscape architect]]s for home security. The sharp thorns of some species are a deterrent to trespassing, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes. The aesthetic characteristics of acacia plants, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them a reasonable alternative to constructed fences and walls.

===Perfume===
[[File:Acaciafarnesiana1web.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Acacia farnesiana]]'']]
''[[Acacia farnesiana]]'' is used in the [[perfume]] industry due to its strong fragrance. The use of acacia as a fragrance dates back centuries.

===Symbolism and ritual===
[[File:Philae Temple Egypt Goddess Isis As Angel Mural Artwork 2004-10-11.jpg|thumb|upright|Egyptian goddess [[Isis]]]]

[[Egyptian mythology]] has associated the acacia tree with characteristics of the [[tree of life]], such as in the [[Myth of Osiris and Isis]].

Several parts (mainly bark, root, and resin) of ''Acacia'' species are used to make [[incense]] for rituals. Acacia is used in incense mainly in India, Nepal, and China including in its Tibet region. Smoke from acacia bark is thought to keep [[demon]]s and [[ghost]]s away and to put the gods in a good mood. Roots and resin from acacia are combined with [[rhododendron]], [[acorus]], [[cytisus]], [[salvia]], and some other components of incense. Both people and elephants like an alcoholic beverage made from acacia fruit.<ref name="fachforum">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100105094521/http://www.naturheilpraxis.de/exclusiv/nh-online/2005/nhp05/a_nh-ff02.html Naturheilpraxis Fachforum (German)]</ref>
According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the acacia tree may be the "burning bush" ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 3:2) which [[Moses]] encountered in the desert.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eastonsbibledictionary.com/b/bush.htm |title=Easton's Bible Dictionary: Bush |publisher=Eastonsbibledictionary.com |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref> Also, when God gave Moses the instructions for building the [[Tabernacle]], he said to "make an ark" and "a table of acacia wood" (Exodus 25:10 & 23, [[Revised Standard Version]]). Also, in the Christian tradition, Christ's crown of thorns is thought to have been woven from acacia.<ref>Dictionary of Symbols.Chevalier and Gheerbrant. Penguin Reference.1996.</ref>

Acacia was used for [[Zulu people|Zulu]] warriors' iziQu (or isiKu) beads, which passed on through [[Robert Baden-Powell]] to the Scout movement's [[Wood Badge]] training award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.scouts.org.uk/factsheets/FS145001.pdf|title=The Origins of the Wood Badge|website=The Scout Association|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-date=6 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006110557/https://members.scouts.org.uk/factsheets/FS145001.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In [[Russia]], [[Italy]], and other countries, it is customary to present women with yellow mimosas (among other flowers) on [[International Women's Day]] (March 8). These "mimosas" may be from ''A. dealbata'' (silver wattle).

In 1918, [[May Gibbs]], the popular Australian children's author, wrote the book 'Wattle Babies', in which a third-person narrator describes the lives of imaginary inhabitants of the Australian forests (the 'bush'). The main characters are the Wattle Babies, who are tiny people that look like acacia flowers and who interact with various forest creatures. Gibbs wrote "Wattle Babies are the sunshine of the Bush. In Winter, when the sky is grey and all the world seems cold, they put on their yellowest clothes and come out, for they have such cheerful hearts."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?embedded=true&toolbar=false&dps_pid=IE3751321|title= May Gibbs' 'Wattle Babies'|publisher= Mitchell Library, [[State Library of New South Wales]]|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref>  Gibbs was referring to the fact that an abundance of acacias flower in August in Australia, in the midst of the southern hemisphere winter.<ref>{{cite book|last=Costermans|first=Leon F.|title=Native Trees and Shrubs of South-Eastern Australia: Includes Addendum of Change and New Species|year= 1981|location= Adelaide, South Australia|publisher= Rigby|isbn= 0727017993}}</ref>

===Tannin===
The bark of various Australian species, known as wattles, is very rich in [[tannin]] and forms an important article of export; important species include ''[[Acacia pycnantha|A. pycnantha]]'' (golden wattle), ''[[Acacia decurrens|A. decurrens]]'' (tan wattle), ''A. dealbata'' (silver wattle) and ''A. mearnsii'' (black wattle).

Black wattle is grown in plantations in [[South Africa]] and [[South America]]. The pods of ''A. nilotica'' (under the name of ''neb-neb''), and of other African species, are also rich in tannin and used by [[Tanning (leather)|tanners]]. In [[Yemen]], the principal tannin substance was derived from the leaves of the salam-tree (''Acacia etbaica''), a tree known locally by the name ''qaraẓ'' (''garadh'').<ref>''R. Moses b. Maimon RESPONSA'' (ed. Jehoshua Blau), vol. 2, ''responsum'' # 253, Rubin Mass Ltd.: Jerusalem 1989, p. 298 (s.v. Judeo-Arabic original, אלקרץ).</ref><ref>James P. Mandaville, ''Bedouin Ethnobotany – Plant Concepts and Uses in a Desert Pastoral World'', University of Arizona Press 2011, [https://books.google.com/books?id=rRZm5-e486wC&dq=acacia+etbaica+schweinf&pg=PA140 p. 140] ({{ISBN|978-0-8165-2900-1}})</ref> A bath solution of the crushed leaves of this tree, into which raw leather had been inserted for prolonged soaking, would take only 15 days for curing. The water and leaves, however, required changing after seven or eight days, and the leather needed to be turned over daily.

===Wood===
[[File:Starr 030405-0092 Acacia koa.jpg|thumb|''[[Acacia koa]]'' wood]]
Some ''Acacia'' species are valuable as timber, such as ''A. melanoxylon'' (blackwood) from [[Australia]], which attains a great size; its wood is used for furniture, and takes a high polish; and ''A. omalophylla'' (myall wood, also Australian), which yields a fragrant timber used for ornaments. ''[[Acacia seyal|A. seyal]]'' is thought to be the [[shittah-tree]] of the [[Bible]], which supplied shittim-wood. According to the Book of Exodus, this was used in the construction of the [[Ark of the Covenant]]. ''[[Acacia koa|A. koa]]'' from the [[Hawaiian Islands]] and ''[[Acacia heterophylla|A. heterophylla]]'' from [[Réunion]] are both excellent timber trees. Depending on abundance and regional culture, some ''Acacia'' species (e.g. ''A. fumosa'') are traditionally used locally as firewoods.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maugh, T.H. II |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-tree25-2009apr25,0,402549.story |title=New species of tree identified in Ethiopia |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2009-04-24 |access-date=2008-04-24}}</ref> It is also used to make homes for different animals.

[[File:Acacia-heterophylla-wood-xup.jpg|thumb|''A. heterophylla'' wood]]

===Pulpwood===
In [[Indonesia]] (mainly in [[Sumatra]]) and in [[Malaysia]] (mainly in [[Sabah]]), plantations of ''[[Acacia mangium|A. mangium]]'' are being established to supply [[pulpwood]] to the paper industry.

Acacia wood pulp gives high opacity and below average bulk [[paper]]. This is suitable in [[Woodfree uncoated paper|lightweight offset papers]] used for Bibles and dictionaries. It is also used in paper tissue where it improves softness.

===Land reclamation===
Acacias can be planted for erosion control, especially after mining or construction damage.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barr, D. A. |author2=Atkinson, W. J.|year=1970 |title=Stabilization of coastal sands after mining|journal=J. Soil Conserv. Serv. N.S.W. |volume=26 |pages=89–105 }}</ref>

==Ecological invasion==
For the same reasons it is favored as an erosion-control plant, with its easy spreading and resilience, some varieties of acacia are potentially invasive species. At least fourteen ''Acacia'' species introduced to South Africa are categorized as invasive, due to their naturally aggressive propagation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=van Wilgen|first=Brian|date=2011|title=National-scale strategic approaches for managing introduced plants: Insights from Australian acacias in South Africa.|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41242842|journal=Diversity and Distributions|volume=17|issue=5|pages=1060–1075|doi=10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00785.x|jstor=41242842|bibcode=2011DivDi..17.1060V |hdl=10019.1/112287|s2cid=85828367 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}  One of the most globally significant invasive acacias is [[Acacia mearnsii|black wattle ''A. mearnsii'']], which is taking over grasslands and abandoned agricultural areas worldwide, especially in moderate coastal and island regions where mild climate promotes its spread. Australian/New Zealand Weed Risk Assessment gives it a "high risk, score of 15" rating and it is considered one of the world's 100 most invasive species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hear.org/pier/species/acacia_mearnsii.htm |title=Acacia mearnsii (PIER species info) |publisher=Hear.org |access-date=2013-03-06 |archive-date=2010-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100908105244/http://www.hear.org/pier/species/acacia_mearnsii.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Extensive ecological studies should be performed before further introduction of acacia varieties, as this fast-growing genus, once introduced, spreads quickly and is extremely difficult to eradicate.

==Phytochemistry==

===Cyanogenic glycosides===
Nineteen different species of ''Acacia'' in the Americas contain [[glycoside|cyanogenic glycosides]], which, if exposed to an [[enzyme]] which specifically splits glycosides, can release [[hydrogen cyanide]] (HCN) in the "leaves".<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.2307/3671484 | volume=32 | title=Cyanogenic Glycosides in Ant-Acacias of Mexico and Central America | year=1987 | journal=The Southwestern Naturalist | last1 = Seigler | first1 = David S.| issue=4 | pages=499–503 | jstor=3671484 | bibcode=1987SWNat..32..499S }}</ref> This sometimes results in the poisoning death of [[livestock]].

If fresh plant material spontaneously produces 200 ppm or more HCN, then it is potentially toxic. This corresponds to about 7.5 μmol HCN per gram of fresh plant material. It turns out that, if acacia "leaves" lack the specific glycoside-splitting enzyme, then they may be less toxic than otherwise, even those containing significant quantities of cyanic glycosides.<ref name="chemotaxonomie">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YpnboQBbw7EC&q=acacia+tryptamine&pg=PA336 |title=Chemotaxonomie der Pflanzen By Robert Hegnauer |date= 1996-01-01|access-date=2013-03-06|isbn=9783764351656|last1=Hegnauer |first1=R. |publisher=Springer }}</ref>

Some ''Acacia'' species containing cyanogens include ''[[Acacia erioloba]]'', ''A. cunninghamii'', ''A. obtusifolia'', ''A. sieberiana'', and ''A. sieberiana'' var. ''woodii''<ref name="juliflora">[http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad317e/AD317E05.htm FAO Kamal M. Ibrahim, The current state of knowledge on Prosopis juliflora...] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018104128/http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad317e/AD317E05.htm |date=October 18, 2012 }}</ref>

==Famous acacias==
The [[Arbre du Ténéré]] in [[Niger]] was the most isolated tree in the world, about {{convert|400|km|0|abbr=on}} from any other tree. The tree was knocked down by a truck driver in 1973.<ref>[[Michael Palin]], ''Sahara'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, {{ISBN|978-0-2978-6359-5}}</ref>

In [[Nairobi]], Kenya, the [[Stanley Hotel, Nairobi|Thorn Tree Café]] is named after a Naivasha thorn tree (''Acacia xanthophloea'')<ref name="Hemsing1974">{{cite book|author=Jan Hemsing|title=Old Nairobi and the New Stanley Hotel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L3QMAQAAIAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Church, Raitt, and Associates|page=53}}</ref> in its centre. Travelers used to pin notes to others to the thorns of the tree. The current tree is the third of the same variety.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Clement | first1 = B.A. | last2 = Goff | first2 = C.M. | last3 = Forbes | first3 = T.D.A. | year = 1998 | title = Toxic Amines and Alkaloids from Acacia rigidula | journal = Phytochemistry | volume = 49 | issue = 5| pages = 1377–1380 | doi=10.1016/s0031-9422(97)01022-4| bibcode = 1998PChem..49.1377C }}
* {{citation|doi=10.1016/S0140-1963(03)00020-X|title=Long-term effects of roller chopping on antiherbivore defenses in three shrub species|journal=Journal of Arid Environments|volume=56|issue=1|pages=181–192|year=2004|last1=Schindler|first1=Jason R.|last2=Fulbright|first2=Timothy E.|last3=Forbes|first3=T.D.A|bibcode=2004JArEn..56..181S}}
* Shulgin, Alexander and Ann, [[TiHKAL]] the Continuation. Transform Press, 1997. {{ISBN|978-0-9630096-9-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikispecies|Acacia}}
* [http://www.worldwidewattle.com/ World Wide Wattle]
* [http://www.acacia-world.net/ Acacia-world]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151110064020/http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plaug99.htm Wayne's Word] on "The Unforgettable Acacias"
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090401222429/http://mulga.yage.net/acacia/ The genus Acacia and Entheogenic Tryptamines, with reference to Australian and related species, by mulga]
* [http://www.bookofherbs.com/a/Acacia_ruggs.htm A description of Acacia from Pomet's 1709 reference book, History of Druggs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111043040/http://www.bookofherbs.com/a/Acacia_ruggs.htm |date=2010-01-11 }}
* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/ Dr. Duke's] Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101227113726/http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/id_tool/acacia.html#Keys Flora identification tools from the State Herbarium of South Australia]
* [http://www.biochemj.org/bj/078/0834/0780834.pdf Tannins in Some Interrelated Wattles]
* [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/b98_list?genus=Acacia&species= List of Acacia Species in the U.S.]{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.fao.org/docrep/V5360E/v5360e0f.htm FAO Timber Properties of Various Acacia Species]
* [http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad317e/AD317E05.htm FAO Comparison of Various Acacia Species as Forage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070614021602/http://www.afip.org/vetpath/WSC/wsc98/98wsc21.htm Vet. Path. ResultsAFIP Wednesday Slide Conference – No. 21 February 24, 1999]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070921100707/http://www.ilri.org/InfoServ/Webpub/Fulldocs/Browse_in_Africa/Chapter33.htm Acacia cyanophylla lindl as supplementary feed/for small stock in Libya]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071012200235/http://smallstock.info/research/reports/R5732/NR08UE/B1701_2.HTM Description of Acacia Morphology]
<!-- http://www.aciar.gov.au/web.nsf/att/JFRN-6BN9EE/$file/mn115part2.pdf 404 page not found -->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160208042613/http://aciar.gov.au/files/node/619/mn115part1.pdf Nitrogen Fixation in Acacias]
* {{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3671484 |title=Cyanogenic Glycosides in Ant-Acacias of Mexico and Central America|journal=The Southwestern Naturalist|volume=32|number=4|date=9 December 1987|pages= 499–503|jstor=3671484 |last1=Seigler |first1=David S. |last2=Ebinger |first2=John E. |doi=10.2307/3671484 |bibcode=1987SWNat..32..499S |url-access=subscription }}
* [https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12717361.200-antelope-activate-the-acacias-alarm-system-.html Acacia Alarm System]
{{WestAfricanPlants|Acacia}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Acacia|short=x}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q21823316}}

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[[Category:Acacia| ]]
[[Category:Excipients]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Australia]]