Acacia

Genus: Acacia

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Eudicotyledons > Fabales > Family: Fabaceae > Subfamily: Mimosoideae

About 900 species, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in Australia and Africa. There are 58 species native to southern Africa, 17 naturalised, and an additional 62 species that are cultivated in the region (mainly originating from Australia). Acacia in the broad sense is not monophyletic and has been split into a number of different genera. However, there has been controversy over the use of the name Acacia for the Australian group of species when in fact it belongs to the African species. African botanical sources are still using Acacia for the African species and this practice is followed here until there is better consensus.

Species native to southern Africa

List from Plants of southern Africa - an online checklist (SANBI), Flora of Zimbabwe and Flora of Mozambique.

Acacia abyssinica Native from Ethiopia to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Acacia adenocalyx Native from Kenya to Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Acacia amythethophylla Native from West Africa to Sudan and Ethiopia, and from there southwards to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Acacia arenaria
Acacia ataxacantha (Flame thorn)
Acacia borleae
Acacia brevispica
Acacia burkei See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Acacia caffra (Common hook-thorn)
Acacia chariessa Endemic to Zimbabwe, occuring on the Central Watershed plaeau.
Acacia davyi
Acacia dyeri
Acacia ebutsiniorum
Acacia eriocarpa (Woolly-pod acacia) Native to Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Acacia erioloba (Camel thorn)
Acacia erubescens (Blue thorn) Native from the DRC to northern South Africa.
Acacia exuvialis Native to southeastern Zimbabwe and South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga).
Acacia fleckii
Acacia galpinii (Monkey thorn) See African Flowering Plants Database, Flora of Zimbabwe
Acacia gerrardii See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Acacia goetzei Native distribution includes Angola and Zimbabwe.
Acacia grandicornuta
Acacia haematoxylon
Acacia hebeclada (Weeping candle thorn)
Acacia hereroensis
Acacia karroo (Sweet thorn)
Acacia kirkii
Acacia kosiensis
Acacia kraussiana
Acacia luederitzii See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Acacia mellifera (Black thorn)
Acacia montis-usti
Acacia natalitia
Acacia nebrownii Native to Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and northern South Africa.
Acacia nigrescens (Knob thorn)
Acacia nilotica (Scented thorn)
Acacia ormocarpoides
Acacia pentagona Native from Sierra Leone to Sudan and south to Angola, eastern Zimbabwe and western Mozambique.
Acacia permixta
Acacia polyacantha
Acacia reficiens
Acacia rehmanniana
Acacia robbertsii
Acacia robusta (Brack thorn, Ankle thorn)
Acacia robynsiana (Whip-stick thorn)
Acacia schweinfurthii (River climbing thorn)
Acacia sekhukhuniensis
Acacia senegal
Acacia sieberiana
Acacia stuhlmannii See Flora of Zimbabwe.
Acacia swazica
Acacia tenuispina
Acacia terminalis
Acacia theronii
Acacia torrei Native to Mozambique. See Flora of Mozambique.
Acacia tortilis
Acacia welwitschii
Acacia xanthophloea (Fever tree)

Species naturalised in southern Africa

List from Plants of southern Africa - an online checklist (SANBI).

Acacia armata (Kangaroo thorn) Native to Australia.
Acacia baileyana (Bailey’s wattle, Cootamundra wattle) Native to Australia. A Category 3 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia cultriformis (Knife-leaved wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia cyclops (Rooikrans, Red eye) Native to Australia. A Category 2 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia dealbata (Silver wattle) Native to southeastern Australia. Classified as a Category 1 invasive plant in the Western Cape and a Category 2 invader in the rest of South Africa.
Acacia decurrens (Green wattle) Native to eastern Australia. A Category 2 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia elata (Pepper tree wattle) A Category 3 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia farnesiana (Cassie, Opopanax, Needle bush) Native to Central America and possibly other tropical regions.
Acacia fimbriata (Brisbane wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia implexa (Screw-pod wattle) A Category 1 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia longifolia (Long-leaved wattle, Sallow wattle) A Category 1 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia mearnsii (Black wattle) Native to eastern Australia. A Category 2 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia melanoxylon (Australian blackwood) Native to eastern Australia. A Category 2 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia paradoxa (Kangaroo wattle) A Category 1 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia podalyriifolia (Pearl acacia, Vaalmimosa) Native to eastern Australia. A Category 3 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia pycnantha (Golden wattle) Native to Australia. A Category 1 invasive plant in South Africa.
Acacia saligna (Port Jackson, Port Jackson willow) Native to western Australia. A Category 2 invasive plant in South Africa. The distinctive galls of the introduced rust fungus Uromycladium tepperianum are probably the easiest way of identifying this plant.

Other species, cultivated in southern Africa

List from Glen (2002).

Acacia acinacea (Gold-dust wattle) Native to Australia.
Acacia acuminata (Raspberry wattle) Native to Australia.
Acacia adunca (Wallangarra wattle) Native to Australia.
Acacia alata (Winged wattle) Native to western Australia.
Acacia aneura (Mulga, Yarran) Native to Australia.
Acacia argyrophylla (Silver mulga) Native to south Australia.
Acacia aspera (Rough wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia binervata (Two-veined hickory) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia brachybotrya (Grey mulga) Native to Australia.
Acacia brachystachya (Umbrella mulga, Turpentine mulga) Native to Australia.
Acacia calamifolia (Wallowa) Native to Australia.
Acacia cardiophylla (Wyalong wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia catechu (Catechu, Cutch) Native from Pakistan to China.
Acacia cavenia (Espinillo) Native to Central America.
Acacia deanei Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia decora (Western silver wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia discolor Native to Australia.
Acacia doratoxylon (Currawong, Lancewood) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia drepanolobium (Whistling thorn) Native to tropical Africa.
Acacia extensa (Wiry wattle) Native to western Australia.
Acacia filicina Native to Mexico.
Acacia flexifolia (Bent-leaf wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia flocktoniae Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia floribunda (Gossamer wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia glaucescens (Coast myall) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia greggii (Cat's-claw) Native to Central America.
Acacia howittii (Sticky wattle) Native to southeastern Australia.
Acacia iteaphylla (Port Lincoln wattle) Native to southern Australia.
Acacia ixiophylla Native to Australia.
Acacia jonesii Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia juniperina Native to Australia.
Acacia kempeana (Witchetty bush) Native to Australia.
Acacia koa (Koa) Native to Hawaii.
Acacia lanigera (Woolly wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia leptoneura Native to Western Australia.
Acacia macradenia (Zig-zag wattle) Native to northeastern Australia.
Acacia maidenii (Maiden's wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia myrtifolia (Myrtle wattle) Native to Australia.
Acacia neriifolia (White wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia pendula (Weeping myall) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia penninervis (Hickory wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia pravissima (Ovens wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia prominens (Golden rain wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia pruinosa (Frosty wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia quornensis Native to southern Australia.
Acacia retinodes (Wirilda, Swamp wattle) Native to southeastern Australia.
Acacia rubida (Red-stem wattle) Native to Australia.
Acacia salicina (Cooba) Native to Australia.
Acacia scirpifolia Native to western Australia.
Acacia seyal (Shittim) Native from tropical Africa to Egypt.
Acacia spectabilis (Mudgee wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia subporosa Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia terminalis (Peppertree wattle) Native to southeastern Australia.
Acacia ulcifolia (Heath wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia ulcifera Native to northeastern Australia.
Acacia undulifolia Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia verniciflua (Varnish wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia verticillata (Prickly moses) Native to southeastern Australia.
Acacia vestita (Hairy wattle) Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia viscidula Native to eastern Australia.
Acacia visco Native to South America.

Publications

Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.
Linder, H.P., Streubel, P.M. & Crowe, T.M. 1980. Island biogeography and the Acacia clumps at the Nxai Pan, Botswana. Botswana Notes and Records 12: 170– 173.
Stirton, C.H. & Maslin, B.R. 1997. Generic and infrageneric classification in Acacia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae): a list of critical species on which to build a comparative data set. Bulletin of the Mimosoideae Working Group 20: 22–44.