( Acacia)
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Acacia dealbata
Source: University of Newcastle
[ ] |
The genus Acacia, of the Mimosaceae family, is comprised
of around 800 different species of trees and shrubs. The Acacia
genus is typically found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world,
especially Austalia and the Pacific (where up to 600 species are native)
as well as Africa (where they are found on the southern and eastern plains).
Acacias are characterised by their small, finely divided leaflets, which
give the leafstalk a feathery or fernlike (i.e., pinnate) appearance.
Certain Australian and Pacific species lack these leaflets and thus the
leafstalks (or petioles) are called upon to perform the normal functions
of leaves. Acacia flowers are typically small, yellow and fragrant with
many stamens, giving the flower a 'fuzzy' appearance. Economic values
of the acacia species include gum arabic, used in adhesives, inks and
drugs (from A. senegal ) as well as the tannin used in inks, dyes
and drugs. Most acacia species contain tannin in their bark but the major
sources are the babul tree in India ( A. arabica) and Australia
wattles such as the golden wattle ( A. pycnantha ), the green wattle
( A. decurrens ) and the silver wattle ( A. dealbata ). Acacia
species such as the Australian blackwood ( A. melanoxylon ) and yarran
( A. homalophylla ) as well as the Hawaiian A. koa are also
important sources of timber. [ ]
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[1] The Encyclopaedia
Britannica Online :
The Geomorphology
and Quaternary Science Research Unit, School of Geosciences, University
of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2083, Australia : |
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