Acacia

  Home Page

Gardening Books

Gardening Catalogs

Scientific Name Index

Common Name Index

Phoenix Garden Calendar

Acacia is a very large genus of shrub and trees coming from all over the tropical world. There are a large number of acacias that grow remarkably well in the southwestern USA. They share a light, fine, foliage. The leaves are generally either bipinnate, or in many species the actual leaflets are gone, and the leaf looking structure is actual the modified leaf stalk and is called phyllode. A few don't even have phyllodes, and instead the stems have flat extensions named cladodes. The name acacia comes from the Greek for thorns, since a large number of species are thorny.

The flowers are small, but they are crowded in globular or finger shaped structures, looking like puffballs. They often come in large quantities at the end of the winter or early spring, and can be rather spectacular. They are followed by woody seed pods.

They can be propagated easily by seeds. The seeds generally needs some treatment to weaken the waterproof layer coating it. They can be dipped for 5 minutes in boiling water and then kept in warm water for a couple of days, or the glossy coating can be lightly sanded. It is also possible to propagate many of the acacias with semi-hardwood cuttings, although the species with phyllodes are generally easier. Most species grow rapidly if provided with adequate water and fertilizer, but many are short lived.


Flowers of the Knife Acacia

Species and varieties
Acacia adunca Wallangara Wattle
Acacia albida Apple-ring Acacia, Winter thorn, Ana tree
Acacia aneura Mulga Acacia
Acacia angustissima Whiteball Acacia, Fern Acacia, Timbre
Acacia armata Kangaroo Thorn
Acacia auriculiformis Earleaf Acacia, Northern Black Wattle
Acacia baileyana Cootamundra Wattle
Acacia cognata Bower Wattle, River Wattle
Acacia covenyi Blue Bush
Acacia craspedocarpa Waxleaf Acacia, Leatherleaf Acacia
Acacia cultriformis Knife Acacia, Knife Leaf Wattle
Acacia dealbata Silver Wattle
Acacia decora Graceful Wattle
Acacia drummondii Drummond's Wattle
Acacia erioloba Camel Thorn, Giraffe Thorn
Acacia glaucoptera Clay Wattle, Queen Wattle
Acacia iteaphylla Flinders Range Wattle
Acacia koa
Acacia longifolia Sydney Golden Wattle
Acacia mangium Mangium, Forest Mangrove
Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle
Acacia melanoxylon Blackwood Acacia
Acacia nilotica Motse, Egyptian Mimosa, Egyptian Thorn
Acacia notabilis Notable Wattle
Acacia occidentalis Sonoran Tree Catclaw, Tésota
Acacia paradoxa Kangaroo Thorn
Acacia pendula Weeping Myall, Weeping Acacia
Acacia pennatula Fernleaf Acacia, Sierra Madre Acacia, Huizache
Acacia peuce Waddy Wood
Acacia podalyriifolia Queensland Silver Wattle, Pearl Acacia
Acacia pravissima Ovens Wattle
Acacia pravissima Ovens Wattle
Acacia pycnantha Golden Wattle
Acacia redolens Desert Carpet (TM), Prostrate Acacia
Acacia retinodes Water Wattle, Everblooming Acacia
Acacia rostellifera Skunk Tree, Summer scented wattle
Acacia salicina Willow Acacia, Australian Willow
Acacia saligna Blue Leaf Wattle
Acacia schaffneri Twisted Acacia, Huizache Chino
Acacia sphaerocephala Bee Wattle, Bull's-Horn Acacia
Acacia stenophylla Shoestring Acacia
Acacia tetragonophylla Dead Finish, Prickly Wattle
Acacia trachycarpa Minnieritchie
Acacia verticillata Prickly Moses, Prickly-leaved Wattle
Acacia vestita Hairy Wattle, Weeping Boree
Synonym and obsolete names
Acacia abyssinica synonym of Vachellia abyssinica (Flat-Top Acacia)
Acacia acicularis synonym of Vachellia farnesiana (Sweet Acacia)
Acacia amentacea synonym of Vachellia rigidula (Blackbrush Acacia, Chaparro Prieto)
Acacia arabica synonym of Acacia nilotica (Motse, Egyptian Mimosa, Egyptian Thorn)
Acacia berlandieri synonym of Senegalia berlandieri (Guajillo, Plains Acacia)
Acacia caffra synonym of Senegalia caffra (Kaffir Thorn)
Acacia constricta synonym of Vachellia constricta (White Thorn, Mescat Acacia)
Acacia cyanophylla synonym of Acacia saligna (Blue Leaf Wattle)
Acacia decurrens var. dealbata synonym of Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle)
Acacia decurrens var. mollis synonym of Acacia mearnsii (Black Wattle)
Acacia dolichocephala synonym of Acacia sphaerocephala (Bee Wattle, Bull's-Horn Acacia)
Acacia emoryana synonym of Senegalia berlandieri (Guajillo, Plains Acacia)
Acacia farnesiana synonym of Vachellia farnesiana (Sweet Acacia)
Acacia flexicaulis synonym of Ebenopsis ebano (Texas Ebony)
Acacia floribunda synonym of Acacia retinodes (Water Wattle, Everblooming Acacia)
Acacia giraffae synonym of Acacia erioloba (Camel Thorn, Giraffe Thorn)
Acacia gracilis synonym of Zapoteca formosa ssp. rosei
Acacia greggii synonym of Senegalia greggii (Cat Claw Acacia, Texas Mimosa)
Acacia minuta synonym of Vachellia farnesiana (Sweet Acacia)
Acacia minuta ssp. densiflora synonym of Vachellia farnesiana (Sweet Acacia)
Acacia mollissima synonym of Acacia mearnsii (Black Wattle)
Acacia ongerup synonym of Acacia redolens (Desert Carpet (TM), Prostrate Acacia)
Acacia ornithophora synonym of Acacia paradoxa (Kangaroo Thorn)
Acacia provincialis synonym of Acacia retinodes (Water Wattle, Everblooming Acacia)
Acacia retinoides synonym of Acacia retinodes (Water Wattle, Everblooming Acacia)
Acacia rigidula synonym of Vachellia rigidula (Blackbrush Acacia, Chaparro Prieto)
Acacia smallii synonym of Vachellia farnesiana (Sweet Acacia)
Acacia subporosa synonym of Acacia cognata (Bower Wattle, River Wattle)
Acacia veracruzensis synonym of Acacia sphaerocephala (Bee Wattle, Bull's-Horn Acacia)
Acacia willardiana synonym of Mariosousa willardiana (Palo Blanco, Willard's Acacia)
Acacia xiphocarpa synonym of Vachellia abyssinica (Flat-Top Acacia)

 

Desert Tropicals Home Page List of All the Plants | More in the Fabaceae family

Desert-Tropicals is dedicated to provide gardening advice, gardening ideas, and information about flower of all kind for landscape and collections.We try to check carefully the identification of the plants on the illustrations as well as the other information from the page, but occasionally errors do occur. if you notice anything that needs to be changed please contact us.Thanks.

© 1998-2020 Philippe Faucon, All Rights Reserved.