Acacia macracantha Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.
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Authority
Isley, Duane. 1973. Leguminosae of the United States: I. Subfamily. Mimosoideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (1): 1-152.
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Family
Mimosaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Armed tree, 3-7 m with conspicuous, spinescent stipules and puberulent to glabrescent twigs and rachises. Leaves bipinnate; leafstalk gland petiolar, slightly raised, cupuliform, an accessory gland often present between uppermost pinnae; rachis open-canaliculate, conspicuously puberulent along edges of channel; pinnae 10-17(-25) pairs; leaflets 23-30 pairs, oblong and nearly symmetric, ca 3 mm, glabrate, without secondary venation. Spines slender, 2-3 cm. Flowers in yellow heads 7-12 diam which are fasciculate, 1-4, on stout, ebracteate peduncles to 1.5 cm from leaf axils. Legume oblong, moderately compressed, moniliform or not, 5-8(-16) cm long, 6-10 mm wide, 2-4 mm thick; valves woody, black, glabrous.
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Discussion
Acacia macracanthoides Bert, ex DC. Poponax macracanthoides (Bert, ex DC.) Britt. & Rose CN 2n = 36 (Huynh, 1965; Atchison, 1948). Pending monographic study of the A. macracantha complex, delimitation of subject taxa must be vague and provincial (Isely, 1969). Native Florida material has somewhat fewer pinnae and leaflets than West Indies genotypes, but forms in cultivation resemble Antillean types and are probably introductions.
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Distribution
S Florida and Keys, local. Sand ridges, mangrove swamps, hammocks. Also slightly in cultivation in Miami area. Native of tropical America.
United States of America North America|