| Acacia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Acacia baileyana Canberra | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Acacia Mill.[1] |
| Type species | |
| Acacia penninervis | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
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Acacia, commonly known as wattles[3][4] or acacias, is a genus of about 1,084 species of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Australasia, but is now reserved for species mainly from Australia, with others from New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean.[1] The genus name is Neo-Latin, borrowed from the Greek ἀκακία (akakia), a term used in antiquity to describe a preparation extracted from Vachellia nilotica, the original type species.
A number of species of Acacia have been introduced to various parts of the world, and two million hectares of commercial plantations have been established.[5]
- ^ a b c "Acacia". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Report of the General Committee". Taxon. 55 (3): 798. 2006. doi:10.2307/25065657.
- ^ "Entry: wattle". The American Heritage Dictionary. 2022. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ "Wattle". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Midgley, S.J.; Turnbull, J.W. (2003). "Domestication and use of Australian acacias: Case studies of five important species". Australian Systematic Botany. 16 (1): 89–102. doi:10.1071/SB01038.