FABACEAE Subfam. MIMOSOIDEAE [Draft]

含羞草亚科  han xiu cao ya ke

Wu Delin; Ivan Nielsen

Trees or shrubs, sometimes lianas or rarely herbs. Leaves alternate, usually bipinnate, rarely once pinnate or becoming a phyllodium, scaly or absent; stipules present or absent, sometimes developing into paired spines; petiole with pulvinous; pinnae usually opposite; leaf rachis or petiole usually with glands. Inflorescences: cylindric spikes or globose heads, rarely racemes or rearranged into panicles; bracts usually deciduous, small; bracteoles deciduous or absent. Flowers small, bisexual, sometimes unisexual, or some neuter and sterile, actinomorphic. Calyx tubular (rarely sepals free), usually 5 (rarely 3-, 4-, 6-, or 7)-toothed; lobes valvate in bud (rarely imbricate). Petals as many as calyx teeth, valvate in bud, free or connate into a tube. Stamens as many as corolla lobes or numerous, or many, free or connate into a tube at base, free part of filaments usually exserted; anthers small, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits, often with a deciduous gland at tip; pollen grains in monads or very often in tetrads or polyads. Pistils usually 1, rarely 2–15 (not in China); ovary superior, 1-loculed; ovules mostly numerous; style slender; stigma small. Pods straight or contorted, dehiscent or indehiscent, sometimes breaking into 1-seeded segments. Seeds usually plano-compressed, in a few genera overgrown testa hard, usually with pleurogram.

About 78 genera, 3270 species*: widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in Australia, Central and South America, only a few species extending into temperate areas; 15 genera and 67 species in China (including 20 introduced species) (seven endemic).

Dichrostachys cinera (Linnaeus) Wight & Arnott and Prosopis juliflora (Swartz) A. P. de Candolle were treated in the FRPS; however, they are omitted here because they are uncommon and not naturalized in China.

Wu Delin (Wu Telin) 1988. Leguminosae–Mimosoideae in Chen Techao, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 39: 2–74.

* Lewis, G. 2005. Legumes of the World, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, U.K.

Key to genera

1a.     Stamens 10 or fewer.

2a.    Climber or herb.

3a.     Woody climber; leaves with pinnae in 2 pairs, tendrils present; pods jointed........ 3. Entada

3b.     Perennial herb; leaves with pinnae in 4–10 pairs, without tendrils; pods not jointed  4. Neptunia

2b.    Tree, shrub, or subshrub.

4a.     Tall tree, 6–30 m tall.

5a.     Pinnae with leaflets in 28–60 pairs; flowers in club-shaped pendulous head; pods basally attenuate into a long stipe ..............................................................................................  1. Parkia

5b.     Pinnae with leaflets in 4–7 pairs; flowers in racemes or panicles; pods basally not attenuate into a long stipe .............................................................................................. 2. Adenanthera

4b.     Small tree, shrub, or subshrub, 0.5–6 m tall.

6a.     Armed plant; pods dehiscent in several segments separating from persistent sutures; leaflets sensitive............................................................................................................... 6. Mimosa

6b.     Unarmed plant; pods not dehiscent in several segments separating from persistent sutures; leaflets not sensitive.

7a.    Small tree or shrub, 2–6 m tall; pinnae with leaflets in 5–15 pairs; pods broadly linear       5. Leucaena

7b.    Subshrub, 0.5–1.3 m tall; pinnae with leaflets in 6–21 pairs; pods linear  7. Desmanthus

1b.     Stamens numerous, usually more than 10.

8a.    Filaments free or only connate at base ................................................................  8. Acacia

8b.    Filaments connate into a tube.

9a.     Pods dehiscent into 2 valves.

10a.   Pods curved into a circle; stipules spinescent ...............................  10. Pithecellobium

10b.   Pods straight or slightly curved; stipules not spinescent.

11a.   Pods with thickened sutures, elastically dehiscing from apex and downward; seeds with pleurogram .....................................................................................................  9. Calliandra

11b.   Pods without thickened sutures, dehiscing along both dorsal and ventral sutures; seeds without pleurogram ..............................................................................  14. Archdendron

9b.     Pods indehiscent or tardy dehiscent.

12a.   Pods contorted into a half or full circle ........................................... 13. Enterolobium

12b.   Pods straight.

13a.   Flowers in spikes .........................................................................  11. Falcataria

13b.   Flowers in head or short corymbs.

14a.   Pods septate between seeds, thick, fleshy .................................... 15. Samanea

14b.   Pods not septate between seeds, flat, thin ....................................... 12. Albizia

 

1. PARKIA R. Brown in Denham & Clapperton, Narr. Travels Africa 234. 1826.

球花豆属  qiu hua dou shu

Trees unarmed. Leaves bipinnate, with numerous pinnae and leaflets. Inflorescences solitary and axillary, or several at apices of branches, large and clavate or depressed-globose, pedunculate. Flowers very numerous. Fertile flowers (bisexual) at upper part of heads, yellow to red, lower sterile ones (male or neuter) white or red. Calyx cylindric; teeth 5, very short and imbricate. Petals 5, linear-spatulate, free or connate to middle. Stamens 10, free or connate at base and adnate to corolla; anthers oblong, usually tipped by a gland. Ovary sessile or stipitate; ovules numerous; style filiform; stigma terminal. Petals of lower sterile flowers often free. Staminodes 10, in a long bundle, free distally, filiform. Pods straight or curved, oblong or elongate, compressed, rather woody or fleshy, 2-valved. Seeds transverse, ovoid, thick or compressed; pleurogram if present ± elliptic.

Thirty-four species: tropical regions of Africa, the Americas, and Asia; two species cultivated in China.

1a.     Leaflets 5–10 × 1–2 mm, lateral veins inconspicuous .......................................  1. P. timoriana

1b.     Leaflets 10–14 × 3–4.2 mm, lateral veins abaxially prominent ..........................  2. P. leiophylla

 

1. Parkia timoriana (A. P. de Candolle) Merrill, Philipp. J. Sci., C. 5: 33. 1910.

球花豆  qiu hua dou

Inga timoriana A. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 442. 1825; Parkia roxburghii G. Don.

Trees to 30 m tall. Branchlets brown. Leaf rachis more than 30 cm, glabrous or pubescent; petiolar gland elliptic to circular 2–4 mm; pinnae 20–30(–42) pairs, pinna rachis 9–12 cm; leaflets 50–60 pairs, falcate or slightly sigmoid, linear, 5–10 × 1–2 mm, lateral veins inconspicuous, base truncate, apex acute. Heads 3–4 cm in diam.; peduncles pendent, 20–45 cm. Flowers small. Calyx tubular, ca. 6 mm. Corolla tubular, 10–11 mm, 5-lobed; lobes 1–1.5 mm, villous. Stamens 10; filaments exserted 2–3.5 mm beyond calyx, base adnate to collar. Ovary stipitate. Pods straight, strap-shaped, flat, 20–36 × 3–4.5 cm, glabrous, base attenuate into a stipe 6–15 cm. Seeds 13–21, black, ovoid, ca. 2 cm, hard. Fr. Feb–Apr.

Cultivated in Taiwan [native to tropical Asia].

2. Parkia leiophylla Kurz, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 42(2): 73. 1873.

大叶球花豆  da ye qiu hua dou

Trees to 30 m tall. Branchlets brown, pubescent when young. Leaf rachis 30–60 cm, petiolar gland broadly elliptic, 4–6 mm; pinnae (11–)15–20 pairs, pinna rachis 10–15 cm, fulvo-pubescent; leaflets sessile, 28–56 pairs, linear-falcate, 10–14 × ca. 3 mm, rigidly leathery, both surfaces glabrous except ciliate along margin, lateral veins prominent abaxially, base subtruncate, unilaterally slightly auriculate, apex obliquely acute. Heads with peduncles 30–45 cm, several together racemiform. Flowers yellow. Calyx 8–10 mm; lobes orbicular, yellow tomentose. Corolla tubular, 10.5–11.5 mm; lobes ca. 1.5 mm, oblong, acute. Staminal tube 9–9.5 mm; anthers 1–1.5 mm. Ovary stipitate. Pods black, slightly torulose, (15–)30–45 × ca. 3 cm, glabrous, shiny, base attenuate into a stipe 12–22 cm, apex rounded. Seeds obliquely arranged, 6–15. Fl. Mar, fr. Sep–Nov.

Dry evergreen and mixed deciduous forests, thickets, along brooks; 500–600 m. Cultivated in Yunnan (Xishuangbanna) [Myanmar, Thailand].

2. ADENANTHERA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 384. 1753.

海紅豆屬  hai hong dou shu

Trees unarmed. Leaves bipinnate, spirally arranged, without glands; stipules caducous, small; leaflets alternate, in many pairs, small. Inflorescence a raceme or panicle, axillary or terminal. Flowers white or yellowish, bisexual or polygamous, shortly stipitate. Calyx campanulate, shortly 5-toothed. Petals 5, lanceolate, coherent below middle or soon free. Stamens 10, free, slightly longer than petals; anthers ovoid, with a deciduous gland at apex. Ovary sessile, many ovuled; style filiform. Pods straight, falcate, or slightly twisted, strap-shaped, leathery, septate between seeds, dehiscent along sutures when ripe. Seeds thick; testa scarlet or 2-colored, hard, with pleurogram, mostly enclosed by a thin pulp.

Twelve species: tropical Asia and the Pacific islands; one species in China.

1. Adenanthera microsperma Teijsmann & Binnendijk, Natuurk. Tijdschr. Ned.-Indië 27: 58. 1864.

海紅豆  hai hong dou

Adenanthera pavonina Linnaeus var. microsperma (Teysmann & Binnendijk) I. C. Nielsen; A. microsperma var. luteosemiralis G. A. Fu & Y. K. Yang; ??A. pavonina subsp. microsperma [auth.??] var. luteo-semina Y. K. Yang et al.??where published??

Trees deciduous, 5–20 m tall. Branchlets puberulent. Petiole and rachis puberulent, pinnae 3–5 pairs; leaflets 4–7 pairs, with short petiolules, alternate, oblong or ovate, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, both surfaces puberulent, both ends rounded-obtuse. Racemes simple, axillary or arranged in panicles at apices of branchlets, puberulent. Flowers white or yellow, small, fragrant, shortly pedicellate. Calyx less than 1 mm, together with pedicel golden yellow puberulous. Petals oblong, 2.5–3.5 mm, usually glabrous but occasionally puberulous toward apex, slightly connate at base. Stamens 3–4.5 mm; anthers 0.5 mm. Ovary nearly sessile, villous; style filiform; stigma small. Pods narrowly oblong, 10–20 × 1.2–1.4 cm, valves contorted after dehiscence. Seeds scarlet or yellow, suborbicular to ellipsoidal, 5–8 × 4.5–7 mm. Fl. Apr–Jul, fr. Jul–Oct.

Valleys, along streams, forests, cultivated in gardens; sea level to 1000 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].

3. ENTADA Adanson, Fam. Pl. 2: 318. 1763, nom. cons.

榼藤屬  ke teng shu

Shrubs scandent, large, usually unarmed. Leaves bipinnate; stipules small, setaceous; petiolar gland absent; terminal pair of pinnae sometimes transformed into a tendril; leaflets opposite, 1 to many pairs. Spikes axillary or supra-axillary, slender, solitary or arranged in a raceme-like panicle. Flowers bisexual or polygamous, 5-merous, sessile. Calyx campanulate, shortly dentate. Petals free or slightly united at base. Stamens 10, shortly connate at base and adnate to petals, much exserted; anthers with a deciduous gland at apex; filaments filiform. Ovary subsessile; ovules numerous; style filiform; stigma minute. Pods straight or curved to spirally twisted, plano-compressed, large and long, leathery or woody; valves splitting transversely at maturity into 1-seeded segments; segments falling away from suture, which persists as an empty frame. Seeds globose to orbicular, large; testa brown, thick, without pleurogram (in Asia).

Approximately 30 species: mainly in tropical Africa and the Americas; three species in China.

1a.     Shrub, trailing or scandent, with large fleshy tuber underground; leaflets 8–11 pairs per pinna, 1.1–1.9 × 0.4–0.8 cm ...............................................................................................................  1. E. parvifolia

1b.     Climber, very large, without fleshy tuber; leaflets 1–5 pairs per pinna, 2.3–9 × 1.3–4.5 cm.

2a.    Leaflets 1or 2 pair(s) per pinna; pods with a parchment-like endocarp ....  2. E. phaseoloides

2b.    Leaflets 3 or 4(or 5) pairs per pinna; pods with a woody endocarp ...................  3. E. rheedii

 

1. Entada parvifolia Merrill, Philipp. J. Sci., C. 3: 229. 1908.

小叶榼藤  xiao ye ke teng

Entada philippinensis Gagnepain.

Shrubs scandent, with large, fleshy tuber underground. Stems terete, glabrous. Pinnae 2 pairs, 4.5–7.5 cm; leaflets 8–11 pairs per pinna, obliquely oblong, 1.1–1.9 cm × 4–8 mm, base half cuneate, half rounded, apex rounded to mucronulate or slightly emarginate. Spikes supra-axillary, ca. 15 cm. Flowers bisexual or male. Calyx cup-shaped, to 1 mm. Petals oblong-linear, ca. 3 mm, apex mucronate. Stamens 5.5–7 mm. Ovary ca. 1.5 mm, glabrous. Pods dark brown, oblong, ca. 30 × 5 cm; segments 2.3–3 cm, epicarp rigidly papery, endocarp thinly parchment-like. Seeds dark brown, irregularly ovoid, ca. 1.8 × 1.6 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug–Nov.

Forests; 100–600 m. Taiwan (Hengchun Peninsula) [Japan (Ryukyus), Philippines].

2. Entada phaseoloides (Linnaeus) Merrill, Philipp. J. Sci., C. 9: 86. 1914.

榼藤  ke teng

Lens phaseoloides Linnaeus in Stickman, Herb. Amboin. 18. 1754; E. koshunensis Hayata & Kanehira; E. scandens (Linnaeus) Bentham, p.p.; Mimosa scandens Linnaeus.

Climbers evergreen, large, woody. Stems often spirally twisted. Branches glabrous. Leaves 10–25 cm; petiole short; pinnae usually 2 pairs; leaflets 1 or 2 pairs, apical pair of pinnae transformed into a tendril, elliptic or narrowly obovate, 3–9 × 1.5–4.5 cm, leathery, base slightly oblique, apex obtuse, emarginate. Spikes 15–25 cm, solitary or arranged in a panicle, villous; bracts pubescent. Flowers slightly fragant. Calyx campanulate, ca. 2 mm, 5-toothed. Petals 5, green with reddish base, oblong, ca. 4 mm, glabrous, slightly united at base, apex acute. Stamens white, slightly longer than corolla. Ovary glabrous; style filiform. Pods curved, flat, to 1 m × 8–12 cm, with a parchment-like endocarp. Seeds dark brown, orbicular, flat, 4–6 cm in diam.; testa brown, brilliant , woody. Fl. Mar–Jun, fr. Aug–Nov. 2n = 28.

Forests; 200–1300 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [tropical and subtropical Asia, tropical Australia].

This plant is poisonous; it is used medicinally.

3. Entada rheedii Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 2: 325. 1825.

眼镜豆  yan jing dou

Entada formosana Kanehira; E. laotica Gagnepain; E. monostachya A. P. de Candolle; E. pursaetha A. P. de Candolle; E. pursaetha subsp. sinohimalensis Grierson & Long.

Climbers woody. Pinnae 2 pairs, 5–15 cm; leaflets 3 or 4(or 5) pairs per pinna, opposite, obovate to elliptic-lanceolate, unequal-sided, 2.3–7 × 1.3–3.5 cm, papery, abaxially glaucous, base rounded to broadly cuneate, apex acuminate to obtuse, or emarginate. Spikes solitary or fasciculate, axillary, 12–25 cm. Flowers male or bisexual. Calyx green, cup-shaped, 0.8–1 mm. Petals white, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, 2.8–3 mm. Stamens white, turning yellow, 5–6.5 mm. Ovary glabrous. Pods straight to slightly curved, to 2 m × 7–15 cm; segments 6.5–7.5 cm, epicarp and endocarp woody. Seeds brown, brilliant, suborbicular, flat, 3.5–4 × ca. 1 cm. Fl. Mar–Apr, fr. Aug–Oct.

Forests; 100–900 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [E Africa, Mascarene Islands, tropical Asia and Australia].

The bark and seeds contain saponin, which is used as a substitute for soap.

4. NEPTUNIA Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 653. 1790

假含羞草属  jia han qiu cao shu

Undershrubs diffuse or herbs perennial, sometimes prostrate or floating, unarmed. Leaves bipinnate, sensitive to touch; stipules obliquely cordate, membranous; rachis with or without glands; pinnae not glandular; leaflets opposite, several to numerous pairs, small. Heads solitary, ovoid-globose, pedunculate, with bisexual flowers in distal part, and sterile flowers with elongate staminodes at base. Calyx campanulate, shortly 5-dentate. Petals 5, free or fused at base. Stamens 10, rarely 5, free; anthers with or without a small gland at apex. Staminodes 10, petaloid and elongate in neuter flowers. Ovary stipitate; ovules numerous; style filiform; stigma concave. Pods deflexed from stipe, oblong, plano-compressed, subseptate between seeds or rarely 1-seeded. Seeds transverse, ovoid, compressed, funicle filiform.

Eleven species: tropical and subtropical regions, especially in Australia and the Americas; one introduced species in China.

1. Neptunia plena (Linnaeus) Bentham, J. Bot. (Hooker) 4: 355. 1842.

假含羞草  jia han qiu cao

Mimosa plena Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 519. 1753.

Herbs perennial, terrestrial or subaquatic. Stems erect or ascending, branched. Stipules persistent, lanceolate, ca. 1 cm, base obliquely cordate; pinnae 4–10 pairs, with a suppressed gland between or just below lowest pair of pinnae; leaflets 9–40 pairs per pinna, sensitive, linear-oblong, 4–18 × 1.5–3 mm, both surfaces glabrous, base rounded, apex obtuse, acute, or mucronate. Heads ovoid, ca. 2 cm. Bisexual flowers on upper part, neuter at base. Calyx campanulate, ca. 1.5 mm, 5-dentate. Petals lanceolate, ca. 3 mm, fused at base. Stamens 10; filaments ca. 6 mm, with stipitate gland at apex. Staminodes petal-like, 8–10 mm. Pods oblong, 5–10 × 1.6–2 cm. Seeds 5–20. Fl. Aug–Oct, fr. Oct–Nov.

Planted or occasionally escaped in wet places; sea level to 100 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan [native to tropical America].

5. LEUCAENA Bentham, J. Bot. (Hooker) 4: 416. 1842.

銀合歡屬  yin he huan shu

Trees or shrubs, evergreen, unarmed. Leaves bipinnate; stipules deciduous, small, setaceous; petiole often glandular; leaflets opposite, numerous and small, or few and larger, oblique. Heads solitary or fasciculate, axillary, globose, pedunculate; bracts usually 2. Flowers sessile, usually bisexual. Calyx campanulate, 5-toothed. Petals 5, free or nearly so. Stamens 10, free, exserted; anthers apically eglandular. Ovary stipitate; ovules numerous; style filiform. Pods stipitate, broadly linear, plano-compressed, leathery, 2-valved, continuous within. Seeds transverse, ovoid, flat.

Twenty two species: all in the Americas, one introduced and naturalized in the Old World; one introduced species in China.

1. Leucaena leucocephala (Lamarck) de Wit, Taxon 10: 54. l961.

銀合歡  yin he huan

Mimosa leucocephala Lamarck, Encycl. Meth. Bot. 1: 12. 1783; Leucaena glauca (Willdenow) Bentham; M. glauca Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 1504. 1763, not 1753.

Shrubs or small trees, 2–6 m tall,. Branchlets pubescent, glabrous when old, with brown lenticels. Stipules caducous, deltoid, very small; pinnae 4–8 pairs, 5–9(–16) cm, rachis pubescent with black glands at location of lowest pinnae; leaflets 5–15 pairs, linear-oblong, 7–13 × 1.5–3 mm, main vein close to upper margin, base cuneate, margin ciliate, apex acute. Heads usually 1 or 2, axillary, 2–3 cm in diam.; peduncle 2–4 cm; bracts deciduous, pubescent. Flowers white. Calyx ca. 3 mm, outside glabrous at base, puberulous at apex, 5-toothed. Petals narrowly oblanceolate, ca. 5 mm, outside pubescent. Stamens 10, sparsely pubescent, ca. 7 mm. Ovary shortly stipitate, sparsely pubescent; stigma cupulate. Pod straight, strap-shaped, flat, 10–18 × 1.4–2 cm, leathery, base attenuate, pedicel to 3 cm, pubescent, beak acute, hard. Seeds 6–25, brown, glossy, narrowly ovoid, flat, ca. 6–9 × 3–4.5 mm. Fl. Apr–Jul, fr. Aug–Oct. 2n = 104*.

Cultivated and naturalized in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [originally from tropical America, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions].

This plant is grown for use as green manure and fodder.

6. MIMOSA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 516. 1753.

含羞草屬  han xiu cao shu

Shrubs or herbs, rarely trees or climbers, usually armed. Stipules not spinescent, usually 2 per pinna, small, caducous. Leaves bipinnate, often sensitive. Heads globose or spikes cylindric, solitary or fasciculate, axillary, pedunculate. Flowers small, bisexual or polygamous, sessile, usually 4-merous. Calyx connate, valvate, campanulate, toothed. Petals connate at base. Stamens 4 or 8, free, exserted; anthers without glands. Ovary many ovuled; style filiform. Pods oblong or linear, usually plano-compressed, membranous or leathery, composed of one-seeded segments, separating from persistent margins. Seeds ellipsoid or orbicular, flat.

About 500 species: mostly in tropical America; one naturalized species and two introduced species in China.

1a.     Pinnae 1 or 2 pairs ...........................................................................................  1. M. pudica

1b.     Pinnae 4–9 pairs.

2a.    Tall shrub or tree; stems terete ............................................................  2. M. bimucronata

2b.    Straggling woody shrub or semi-woody herb; stems angulate ....................  3. M. diplotricha

 

1. Mimosa pudica Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 518. 1753. 

含羞草  han xiu cao

Herbs diffuse, shrubby, to 1 m tall. Stems cylindric, branched, with reflexed bristles and scattered, curved prickles. Stipules lanceolate, 5–10 mm, bristly; pinnae and leaflets sensitive; pinnae usually 2 pairs, digitate, 3–8 cm; leaflets 10–20 pairs, linear-lanceolate, 6–15 × 1.5–3 mm, abaxially slightly hispid, adaxially glabrous, margin ciliate, apex acute. Heads solitary or 2, axillary, globose, ca. 1 cm in diam.; peduncle long; bracts linear. Flowers numerous, pink, small. Calyx minute. Corolla campanulate; lobes outside pubescent. Stamens 4, exserted. Ovary with short stalk, glabrous; ovules 3 or 4; style filiform; stigma small. Pods arranged in a star, slightly recurved, flat, oblong, 1–2 cm × ca. 5 mm, consisting of 3–5 one-seeded segments which fall away from persistent, bristly sutures. Seeds light brown, ovoid, ca. 3.5 mm. Fl. Mar–Oct, fr. May–Nov. 2n = 52*. 

Wilderness, waste places, or cultivated; [sea level to 1500 m]. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Jiangsu, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [native to tropical America, naturalized in tropical regions of the world].

This plant is grown as an ornamental; and used medicinally as a sedative and a sleep aid.

2. Mimosa bimucronata (A. P. de Candolle) O. Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 198. 1891.

光荚含羞草  guang jia han xiu cao

Acacia bimucronata A. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 469. 1825; Mimosa sepiaria Bentham.

Shrubs deciduous, 3–6 m tall. Branchlets unarmed in distal parts, in lower parts armed by up to 1 cm, recurved prickles, densely yellow tomentose. Pinnae 4–9 pairs, to 1.5–8 cm, rachis unarmed, pubescent; leaflets 12–16 pairs, linear, 5–7 × 1–1.5 mm, leathery, glabrous to puberulous with ciliate margin, main vein near upper side, apex mucronate. Heads globose, forming a spreading panicle with compound, spreading lower branches. Flowers white, scented. Calyx cup-shaped, minute. Petals oblong, 2.5–4 mm, connate at base. Stamens 8; filaments 4–5 mm. Ovary initially glabrous. Pods brown, straight, strap-shaped, 3.5–4.5 × ca. 0.6 cm, unarmed, finely reticulate-venulose, usually with 4–8 segments. Seeds olivaceous, ovoid, compressed, ca. 4.5 mm. 2n = 26*.

Introduced in Guangdong, escaped in thin forests [South America (native to NE Argentina and E Brazil)].

3. Mimosa diplotricha C. Wright ex Sauvalle, Anales Acad. Ci. Med. Habana 5: 405. 1868.

巴西含羞草  guang jia han qiu cao

Subshrubs or perennial herbs Stems scandent or prostrate, to 5 m, 4-angulate, hirsute, with or without prickles along angles. Leaves 10–15 cm; petiole and rachis with 4 rows of recurved prickles; pinnae (3–)7 or 10 pairs, 2–4.5 cm; leaflets (11–)20–30 pairs per pinna, linear-oblong, 3–5 × 1–2 mm, both surfaces white villous. Heads 1 or 2, axillary, ca. 1 cm in diam. (including filaments); peduncles 5–10 mm. Flowers bisexual. Calyx inconspicuous, ca. 0.4 mm. Corolla narrowly funnel-shaped, ca. 2.5 mm, 4-lobed, outside slightly pubescent. Stamens 8; filaments pale purple-pink. Ovary ca. 1 mm. Pods in clusters, slightly curved, oblong, 1.5–3.5 × 0.4–0.5 cm, with or without prickly bristles. Seeds yellow-brown, ca. 3.5 mm. 2n = 26*.

Cultivated or naturalized in Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Native to tropical America, introduced throughout the tropics].

This species is planted as a cover crop.

1a.. Plant with prickles .....................................................................................  3a. var. diplotricha

1b.. Plant without prickles .......................................................................................  3b. var. inermis

 

3a. Mimosa diplotricha var. diplotricha

巴西含羞草  ba xi han xiu cao

Mimosa invisa Martius (1837), nom. illeg., not Martius ex Colla (1834).

Plants with prickles.

Cultivated or naturalized in Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan [native to tropical America, introduced throughout the tropics].

3b. Mimosa diplotricha var. inermis (Adelbert) Veldkamp, Fl. Males. Bull. 9: 416. 1987.

无刺巴西含羞草  wu ci ba xi han xiu cao

Mimosa invisa [author??] var. inermis Adelbert, Reinwardtia 2: 359. 1953.

Plants without prickles.

Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan [originally from Java, widely cultivated in tropical regions].

7. DESMANTHUS Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4: 1044. 1806 ['1805'], nom. cons.

合欢草属  he huan cao shu

Trees, shrubs, or herbs perennial. Leaves bipinnate; stipules persistent, setaceous; pinnae 1–15 pairs; leaflets small; petiolar gland often between lower pair. Heads solitary, axillary, ovoid-globose. Flowers all bisexual, or lower male or neuter and sometimes without petals but with short staminodes. Calyx campanulate, shortly dentate. Petals free or nearly so. Stamens 10 or 5, free, exserted; anthers eglandular at apex. Ovary subsessile; ovules numerous; style subulate or thickened distally; stigma terminal. Pods straight or falcate, linear, plano-compressed to terete, 2-valved, continuous within or subseptate between seeds. Seeds oriented lengthwise or oblique, ovoid to ellipsoidal, compressed.

About 24 species: mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas; one introduced species in China.

1. Desmanthus pernambucanus (Linnaeus) Thellung, Mem. Soc. Nat. Sci. Cherbourgh, ser. 4, 38: 256. 1911-12.

合欢草  he huan cao

Mimosa pernambucana Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 519. 1753; Desmanthus virgatus auct.

Subshrubs to 2 m tall. Stem glabrous or slightly puberulent, angulate. Stipules subulate; petiolar gland on lowest pair of pinnae; pinnae 2–6 pairs, 1.2–2.5 cm; leaflets 6–21 pairs per pinna, oblong, 4–6 × ca. 2 mm, ciliate along margin, slightly asymmetric, base truncate, apex acute. Heads axillary, ca. 5 mm in diam., 4–10-flowered; bracteoles ovate, caducous. Flowers white, upper ones bisexual, lower ones male. Calyx campanulate, ca. 2.5 mm, 5-dentate. Petals 5, narrowly lanceolate, 3–4 mm. Stamens 10, ca. 5 mm, free. Ovary oblong, ca. 2 mm. Pods reddish brown, straight or slightly curved, linear, 4–11 × 0.2–0.4 cm. Seeds dark brown, rectangular, ca. 3 mm.

Naturalized in Guangdong, Taiwan, Yunnan [native to tropical America, widely cultivated in the tropics].

This species is planted as a cover crop.

8. ACACIA Miller, Gard. Dict. ed. 4. 1754.

金合欢属  jin he huan shu

Trees, shrubs, or lianas, armed or unarmed. Stipules spinescent or not. Leaves bipinnate or modified to phyllodes by dilation of petiole and proximal part of rachis; extrafloral nectaries usually present on petiole and rachis or absent; leaflets opposite (in China), sessile or shortly stalked. Inflorescences consisting of pedunculate glomerules or spikes borne in axillary clusters or aggregated into terminal panicles. Flowers bisexual, or male and bisexual, tetra- or pentamerous, uniform. Sepals connate, valvate. Petals valvate, rarely absent. Stamens numerous exerted; filaments free or connate at base; anthers glandular or not. Ovary sessile or stiputate, ovules many or 2 rows; style filiform; stigma capitate, small. Pods extremely variable, dehiscent or indehiscent; endocarp not separated from exocarp, not forming envelope around each seed. Seeds usually elliptic to oblong, ± flattened, with a hard black-brown testa with pleurogram, wingless; aril usually absent, but present in some phyllodinous species.

About 1200 species: tropical and subtropical regions, especially Pacific and Africa; 18 species (including cultivated species) in China. Acacia senegal (Linnaeus) Willldenow and A. nilotica (Linnaeus) Delile were compiled in the FRPS (39. 1988), but are not treated here because they are uncommonly cultivated in China.

1a.     Leaves reduced to phyllodes.

2a.    Phyllodes 10–20 × 1.5–6 cm; inflorescence a spike ..............................  1. A. auriculiformis

2b.    Phyllodes 6–10 × 0.4–1 cm; inflorescence a head .........................................  2. A. confusa

1b.     Leaves bipinnate.

3a.    Flowers in racemes.

4a.     Tree armed; pinnae 10–30 pairs ................................................................ 7. A. catechu

4b.     Shrub unarmed; pinnae 5–15 pairs.

5a.     Racemes 2–5 cm; midveins of leaflets close to upper margin .......... 8. A. yunnanensis

5b.     Racemes shorter than 2 cm; midveins of leaflets subcentral ..................... 5. A. glauca

3b.    Flowers in heads, then rearranged in panicles.

6a.     Tree or shrub.

7a.     Shrub armed; stipules spinescent .................................................... 18. A. farnesiana

7b.     Shrubs unarmed or rarely with sparse prickles.

8a.    Leaflets 4–8 mm.

9a.     Leaflets glabrous; heads 6–8 mm in diam. ...............................  4. A. decurrens

9b.     Leaflets sparsely pubescent; heads ca. 10 mm in diam. ..............  13. A. teniana

8b.    Leaflets 2–4 mm.

10a.   Leaflets 2.6–3.5 × 0.4–0.5 mm; pods 7–12 mm wide, glabrous, glaucous  3. A. dealbata

10b.   Leaflets 2–3 × 0.8–1 mm; pods 4–5 mm wide, pubescent ...........  6. A. mearnsii

6b.     Climber.

11a.   Midvein of leaflets starting centrally or subcentrally.

12a.   Base of leaflets truncate, leaflets densely puberulous ..................  9. A. tonkinensis

12b.   Base of leaflets rounded to cuneate, leaflets abaxially glabrous to faintly adpressed puberulous     10. A. caesia

11b.   Midvein starting marginally.

13a.   Lateral veins of leaflets abaxially not forming a reticulate pattern.

14a.   Petiolar gland in lower half of petiole, usually just above basal pulvinus; leaflets apically sharply acute, often bent forward ........................................................  16. A. pennata

14b.   Petiolar gland at or above middle of petiole; leaflets apically obtuse, straight  17. A. megaladena

13b.   Lateral veins of leaflets abaxially forming a reticulate pattern.

15a.   Midvein parallel to upper margin of leaflets ........................  11. A. vietnamensis

15b.   Midvein not parallel to upper margin of leaflets.

16a.   Leaflets membranous, with a wrinkled appearance when dried; pods fleshy, with wrinkled surfaces seeming to break into segments ............................  12. A. concinna

16b.   Leaflets papery, without a wrinkled appearance when dried; pods papery, smooth, not seeming to break into segments.

17a.   Branchlets glaucous, puberulous to tomentose when young  14. A. pruinescens

17b.   Branchlets brownish, glabrous ........................................  15. A. delavayi

 

1. Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunningham ex Bentham, London J. Bot. 1: 377. 1842.

大叶相思  da ye xiang si

Trees evergreen, to 20 m tall. Bark gray-white, smooth. Branches pendulous; branchlets angular, glabrous, with conspicuous lenticels. Phyllodes falcate-oblong, 10–20 × 1.5–4(–6) cm, conspicuous main veins 3 or 4, both ends attenuate. Spikes 1 to several, fasciculate, axillary or terminal, 3.5–8 cm. Flowers orange-yellow. Calyx 0.5–1 mm, shallowly dentate. Petals oblong, 1.5–2 mm. Filaments 2.5–4 mm. Ovary densely puberulous Pods contorted when mature, 5–8 × 0.8–1.2 cm, valves ligneous. Seeds ca. 12, black, ca. 5 × 3.5 mm. 2n = 26*.

Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang [native to N Australia and New Guinea].

2. Acacia confusa Merrill, Philipp. J. Sci., C. 5: 27. 1910.

臺灣相思  tai wan xiang si

Trees evergreen, 6–15 m tall, glabrous. Branches gray or brown, unarmed; branchlets slender, angular. Phyllodes straight or slightly falcate, linear-lanceolate, 6-10 × 0.5-1.3 cm, leathery, both surfaces glabrous, conspicuous longitudinal veins (3–)5(–8), both ends acuminate, apex slightly obtuse, usually with hooked acumen. Heads solitary or 2- or 3-fasiculate, axillary, globose, ca. 0.7 cm in diam.; peduncles 7–13 mm, slender. Flowers golden-yellow, fragrant. Calyx 1–1.3 mm. Petals greenish, 1.5–1.9 mm. Stamens numerous, ca. 3.5 mm. Ovary yellow-brown villous; style ca. 4 mm. Pods black-brown, flat, 4–9(–12) × 0.7–1 cm. Seeds broadly elliptic, 5–6 × 3.5–5 mm. Fl. Mar–Oct, fr. Aug–Dec. 2n = 26*.

Widely cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Philippines].

This tree is grown for its wood and tannins. The seeds are poisonous.

3. Acacia dealbata Link, Enum. Pl. Berol. 2: 445. 1822.

银荆  yin jing

Acacia decurrens Willdenow var. dealbata (Link) Maiden.

Shrubs or trees, small, ca. 15 m tall, unarmed. Young branchlets slightly angular with ridges gray tomentose, glaucous. Leaves argenteous to greenish or golden when leaves not extended; rachis not angulate; glands at rachis of pinna insertion; pinnae 10–20(–25); leaflets 26–46 pairs, dense, distance between leaflets not more than itself, linear, 2.6–3.5 × 0.4–0.5 mm, abaxially or both surfaces gray-white pubescent. Heads 6–7 mm in diam., arranged in axillary racemes or panicles; peduncles ca. 3 mm. Flowers yellowish or orange-yellow. Pods red-brown or black, oblong, flat, 3–8 cm × 7–12 mm, glabrous, glaucous. Seeds elliptic, flat. Fl. Apr, fr. Jul–Aug. 2n = 26.

Cultivated in Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [native to Australia].

This species is grown for its tannins and as a honey plant.

4. Acacia decurrens Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4: 1072. 1806.

线叶金合欢  xian ye jin he huan

Trees unarmed, 7–15 m tall. Branchlets glabrous, conspicuously angulate. Leaf glands on rachis between leaflets; pinnae (3–)7–15 pairs; leaflets widely spaced, 15–45 pairs, linear, 5–10 × 0.3–0.8 mm, main vein close to upper margin. Heads 6–8 mm in diam., arranged in racemes or panicles. Flowers yellow. Calyx shortly ciliate. Petals with conspicuous midvein. Stamens exerted. Pods oblong, flat, 2–10.5 cm × 4–8.5 mm, almost leathery, constricted between seeds. Seeds ovoid. Fl. Jan–Apr, fr. May–Aug. 2n = 26*.

Cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang [native to Australia].

This plant is grown for its tannins.

5. Acacia glauca (Linnaeus) Moench, Methodus 466. 1794.

灰合欢  hui he huan

Mimosa glauca Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 520. 1753; Acaciella villosa (Swartz) Britton & Rose; A. villosa (Swartz) Willdenow; M. villosa Swartz.

Shrubs unarmed, 3–8 m tall. Branchlets and petioles pubescent. Stipules deciduous, lanceolate; pinnae 5–8 pairs, 3–6 cm, not glandular; leaflets 10–30 pairs, oblong, 4–8 × 1–3 mm, both surfaces glabrous or abaxially sparsely pubescent, midvein near middle, bilaterally slightly asymmetric, base rounded, margin ciliate, apex obtuse-rounded, or very shortly mucronate. Racemes 2–6-fasciculate, axillary, oblong or subglobose, 1–1.5 cm, 20–30-flowered; peduncles 1–1.5 cm. Flowers slightly fragrant; pedicels 1–2 mm. Calyx cup-shaped, ca. 0.5 mm. Corolla 2.5–3 mm, base tubular. Stamens numerous, initially white, turning yellow, 6–7 mm. Pods oblong, compressed, 4.5–6.6 × 1.5–2 cm, membranous, often irregularly constricted, villous. Seeds 3–6. Fl. and fr. Jul–Nov.

Introduced in Fujian, Guangdong [native to West Indies].

This is a host plant of the lac insect.

6. Acacia mearnsii De Wildeman, Pl. Bequaert. 3: 62. 1925.

黑荆  hei jing

Trees 9–15 m tall. Branchlets angulate, gray-white tomentose. Young leaves golden tomentose, mature leaves gray pubescent; rachis not angulate; pinnae 6–30 pairs, 0.5–5.5 cm, glands at rachis of pinna insertion and elsewhere; leaflets to 10–68 pairs, dense, linear, to 0.7–6 × 0.4–0.8(–1) mm, margin, abaxially, or sometimes both surfaces pubescent. Heads globose, 6–7 mm in diam., arranged in axillary racemes or terminal panicles; peduncles 7–10 mm; rachis yellow, densely tomentose. Flowers yellowish or white.  Pods black, oblong, flat, 5–10 cm × 4–5 mm, slightly constricted between seeds, pubescent. Seeds black, shiny, ovoid. Fl. Jun, fr. Aug.

Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Native to Australia].

This species is grown for its tannins and as a honey plant.

7. Acacia catechu (Linnaeus f. ) Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4: 1079. year??

儿茶  er cha

Mimosa catechu Linnaeus f., Suppl. Pl. Syst. Veg. 439. 1781; Acacia catechu var. wallichiana (A. P. de Candolle) P. C. Huang.

Trees deciduous, small, 6–10 m tall. Bark laminarly split. Branchlets pubescent, often with a pair of flat, brown, hooked spines below stipules or without spines. Leaf glands near petiolar base and between several upper leaflets of rachis, rachis villous; pinnae 10–30 pairs; leaflets 20–50 pairs, linear, 2–6 × 1–1.5 mm, ciliate. Spikes 1–4, axillary, 2.5–10 cm. Flowers yellowish or white. Calyx campanulate, 1.2–1.5 cm; teeth deltoid, hairy. Petals lanceolate or oblanceolate, ca. 2.5 cm, sparsely pubescent. Stamens numerous, Ovary ca. 1 mm, glabrous. Pods brown, straight, strap-shaped, 12–15 × 1–1.8 cm, nitid, dehiscent, stalk 3–7 mm, apex rostrate. Seeds 3–10. Fl. Apr–Aug, fr. Sep to following Jan. 2n = 26.

Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan (escaped in wild), Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand; Africa].

This plant is used medicinally.

8. Acacia yunnanensis Franchet, Pl. Delavay. 193. 1890.

云南相思树  yun nan xiang si shu

Shrubs 4–5 m tall, pubescent throughout, generally unarmed; old branches with recurved prickles on internodes. Stipules deciduous, oblong; petiole with raised, elliptic gland; pinnae 5–15 pairs, 2–5 cm; leaflets oblong, 4–10 × 1.8–2 mm, midvein close to upper margin, both surfaces sparsely pubescent, base obtuse-rounded, apex acute. Racemes 2–5 cm, 2- or 3-fasciculate or arranged in panicle. Calyx ca. 2.5 mm. Corolla ca. 5 mm; lobes ca. 2 mm, densely golden tomentose. Filaments ca. 1.1 cm. Ovary pubescent, with ca. 1 mm stalk; style ca 3 mm. Pods oblong, ca. 15 × 2–3 cm, base attenuate, stalklike, apex long acuminate, slightly constricted between seeds. Seeds brown, flat. Fl. May.

* Thickets; 1700–2200 m. Sichuan, Yunnan.

9. Acacia tonkinensis I. C. Nielsen, Adansonia, ser. 2, 19: 358. 1980.

滇南金合欢  dian nan jin he huan

Climbers, armed with scattered, recurved prickles on internodes. Branchlets hirsute, with light glands. Stipules caducous, filiform, 4–6 mm; petiole 3.2–5.5 cm, with 2 hollow glands above base and at or above middle, ca. 1.5 mm in diam.; leaflets 17–33 pairs, oblong to subfalcate, 5–9.5 × 2–2.5 mm, adaxial surface and margin strigose, main vein starting centrally at base, running eccentrically toward apex, not parallel to upper margin, lateral veins inconspicuous, base fully truncate, apex asymmetrically rounded-truncate, apiculate, bent forward. Heads with bracts projecting beyond flowers in bud. Calyx lobes adnate at base only, oblong, ca. 2 mm. Corolla ca. 2.5 mm; lobes triangular-ovate, ca. 1 mm. Stamens numerous. Ovary puberulous. Pods red-brown, oblong, flat, 1.3–2.4 × ca. 1.2–1.3 cm, papery, margin slightly sinuate, with glandular hairs, dehiscent. Seeds irregularly ellipsoidal, 8–12 × 5–7 mm.

Thin forests; 400–700 m. S Yunnan [Laos, N Vietnam].

10. Acacia caesia (Linnaeus) Willdenow, Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 4: 1090. 1806.

尖叶相思  jian ye xiang si

Mimosa caesia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 522. 1753; Acacia caesia var. subnuda (Craib) I. C. Nielsen; A. intsia Willdenow var. caesia (Linnaeus) Wight & Arnott ex Baker; A. intsia var. oxyphylla Geahan ex Baker.

Climbers, with recurved prickles on internodes. Branchlets and leaf rachis tomentose or glabrous. Stipules filiform, ca. 3 × 1 mm. Leaf petiole with gland 0.3–1 cm above base, in lower half of petiole, and glands on rachis between several upper; pinnae 6–8(–13) pairs, 3.5–9.5 cm; leaflets 8–19 pairs, oblong, (0.6–)1–1.2 cm × (1.1–)4–5 mm, both surfaces glabrous, main vein starting from center of leaf base, close and parallel to upper margin, apex apiculate. Heads less than 1.2 cm in diam., 1–4 arranged in panicles; peduncles tomentose. Flowers yellow. Calyx 1.5–2 mm; lobes 0.3–0.5 mm; ovate, apex acute. Corolla 2–3 mm; lobes ovate-elliptic, (0.5–)1 mm. Ovary 0.8–1 mm; puberulous to velutinous; stipe ca. 1.5 mm. Pods strap-shaped, 10–15 × 2–3 cm, dehiscent, sutures straight or slightly sinuous, base attenuate, stalklike. Seeds 8–12. Fl. Sep, fr. Nov.

Secondary forests; 200–2500 m. Guangdong, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

11. Acacia vietnamensis I. C. Nielsen, Adansonia, ser. 2, 19: 360. 1980.

越南金合欢  yue nan jin he huan

Shrubs scandent, armed with scattered, recurved thorns. Young branchlets puberulous, with glandular hairs, glabrescent. Leaf petiole 4–5 cm; glands above base, elliptic, 0.5–1 mm, raised, flat to slightly concave, rachis glands sessile; leaflets 25–40 pairs, sessile, oblong, 4–6.5 × 1–1.5 mm, midvein starting eccentrically at base, running parallel to upper margin, lateral veins reticulate, base asymmetrically truncate, apex very asymmetrically acute, bent forward. Calyx campanulate, 1.8–2 mm; teeth triangular, ca. 0.5 mm, glandular puberulous. Corolla ca. 2.5 mm, glandular puberulous; lobes elliptic, ca. 1.1 mm. Stamens numerous. Ovary velutinous. Pods (immature) red-brown, oblong, flat, ca. 11 × 2.8 cm, papery, with light glandular hairs. Seeds unknown. Fl. Mar–Jul, fr. Jun–Dec.

Thickets. Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang [Laos, Vietnam].

12. Acacia concinna (Willdenow) A. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 464. 1825.

藤金合歡  teng jin he huan

Mimosa concinna Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4: 1039. 1806; A. sinuata (Loureiro) Merrill (1935), not Jacques (1860); M. sinuata Loureiro.

Climbers, scandent shrubs, or small trees. Branchlets and leaf rachises gray tomentose; prickles abundant, minute, hooked. Stipules deciduous, ovate-cordate, 3–8 × 1.5–6 mm. Leaf 10–20 cm; pinnae 6–18 pairs, 8–12 cm; glands near base of petiole and one between uppermost pinnae; leaflets 15–25 pairs, glaucous abaxially, greenish adaxially, linear-oblong, 8–12 × 2–3 mm, membranous, with a wrinkled appearance when dry, both surfaces hirsute or glabrescent, margin ciliate, midvein near upper margin. Heads globose, 9–12 mm in diam., arranged in a panicle; branches tomentose. Flowers white or yellowish, fragrant. Calyx funnel-shaped, ca. 2 mm. Corolla slightly exserted. Ovary glabrous or sericeous, stipitate. Pods brown, strap-shaped, 8–15 × 2–3 cm, fleshy, with wrinkled surfaces, sutures straight or slightly sinuate, seeming to break into segments. Seeds 6–10. Fl. Apr–Jun, fr. Jul–Dec.

Thin forests, thickets; 200–1100 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan [tropical Asia].

This plant is important for its tannins, and is used medicinally.

E. D. Merrill did not mention any type specimens of Acacia sinuata (Loureiro) Merrill based on Mimosa sinuata Loureiro; the name is regarded by us as dubious (cf. I. C. Nielson 1980).

13. Acacia teniana Harms, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 17: 133. 1921.

无刺金合欢  wu ci jin he huan

Trees small or shrubs, ca. 3 m tall, armed with recurved prickles on internodes. Bark brown or grayish, often split. Young branchlets pubescent, glabrescent. Leaf gland at middle part of petiole, soon deciduous or without gland; pinnae 7–13 pairs, 7–12 cm or longer, pubescent; leaflets 20–40 pairs, obliquely lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 4–8 mm, sparsely sericeous when young, margin ciliate, midvein oblique, apex acute or slightly acute. Heads ca. 1 cm in diam., 2–6 in axillary or terminal panicles; peduncles 2–4 cm, villous. Flowers puberulent or subglabrous. Calyx ca. 2 mm. Corolla ca. 3 mm. Filaments ca. 5 mm. Ovary glabrous. Pods oblong, 8–10 × 2.5–3 cm. Fl. May–Jun., fr. Jan of following year.

* Forests; 800–1500 m. Sichuan, Yunnan.

14. Acacia pruinescens Kurz, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal. 45(2): 298. 1876.

粉被金合欢  fen bei jin he huan

Acacia pruinescens var. luchunensis C. Chen & H. Sun.

Climbers woody or scandent shrubs. Branchlets with recurved spines, glaucous and pubescent when young. Stipules cordate-hastate, pubescent; petiole with oblong gland above base; pinnae 9–11 pairs, 3.3–9 cm, rachis pubescent, with few recurved spines; leaflets numerous, sessile, linear, 7–11(–16) × 1.8–2.5(–4) mm, glabrous or ciliate, midvein close to upper margin, base truncate, apex obtuse. Heads arranged in axillary panicles to 25 cm; peduncles 1.5–2.2 cm. Flowers yellow. Calyx tubular, 2–3 mm, pubescent, apex truncate. Corolla 3–4 mm; tube glabrous; lobes 0.5–1.5 mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous. Stamens numerous, with deciduous gland at apex. Ovary apically sparsely pubescent. Pods brownish, oblong, flat, 18–20 × 2.9–3.2 cm, both ends acute, sutures thickened, glabrous. Seeds oblong, 7–10 mm. Fl. Apr, fr. Jun–Oct.

Thin forests; 1200–1600 m. Guangxi, Yunnan [Myanmar, Vietnam].

15. Acacia delavayi Franchet, Pl. Delavay. 194. 1890.

光叶金合欢  guang ye jin he huan

Climbers. Branchlets brownish, glabrous, angulate, with short straight or slightly recurved prickles. Leaf petiole short, spinose; pinnae 3–5 pairs, 14–20 cm; leaflets dense, linear, 6–7 × < 2 mm, glabrous, base obtuse or auriculate, apex obtuse. Heads solitary or paired, axillary, globose, ca. 1 cm in diam.; peduncles 3–4 cm. Calyx ca. 2 mm; lobes ca. 0.4 mm, apex acute. Corolla 3–3.5 mm; lobes ca. 1 mm, glabrous. Stamens ca. 2 × as long as corolla. Ovary ca. 1 mm, velutinous; stipe ca. 1.5 mm. Pods oblong, very flat, 8–10 × 2–3 cm, subleathery, both ends subrounded or obtuse, dehiscent. Seeds 7–9, gray, oblong-rhombic, flat. Fl. Jul, fr. Sep.

* Mountains; 1700–2200 m. Guizhou, Yunnan.

1a.. Base of leaflets obtuse .................................................................................  15a. var. delavayi

1b.. Base of leaflets auriculate ....................................................................  15b. var. kunmingensis

15a. Acacia delavayi var. delavayi

光叶金合欢  guang ye jin he huan

Acacia cavaleriei H. Léveillé.

Base of leaflets obtuse.

* Mountains; 1700–2200 m. Yunnan.

15b. Acacia delavayi var. kunmingensis C. Chen & H. Sun, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 12: 262. 1990.

昆明金合欢  kun ming jin he huan

Base of leaflets auriculate.

* Secondary forests; ca. 1500 m. Guizhou, Yunnan (Kunming).

16. Acacia pennata (Linnaeus) Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4: 1090. 1806.

羽葉金合歡  yu ye jin he huan

Mimosa pennata Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 522. 1753.

Climbers, with copious, scattered prickles. Branchlets and leaf rachis ferruginous pubescent. Stipules (ovate-)lanceolate, 3–5 × 1–1.5 cm, cuspidate. Leaves: petiolar glands subpulvinate, narrowly terete or slightly obconic, 0.3–3 mm in diam., below middle of petiole, usually just above basal pulvinus and several between distal pinnae. Pinnae 8–22 pairs; leaflets 30–54 pairs, densely crowded, linear, 5–10 × 0.5–1.5 mm, midvein near upper margin, base truncate, margin ciliate, apex sharply acute, asymmetrical, bent forward, often nearly hooked. Heads solitary or 2- or 3-fasciculate, globose, ca. 1 cm in diam., arranged in axillary or terminal panicles; peduncles 1–2 cm, yellow pubescent or reddish glandular hairy. Flowers pedicellate or subsessile. Calyx subcampanulate, 1.5–2.5 mm, 5-toothed. Corolla 2–3.2(–4.2) mm. Ovary puberulent, stipitate. Pods strap-shaped, 9–20 × 2–3.5 cm, glabrous or finely puberulent when young, sutures slightly sinuate. Seeds black, 8–12, narrowly elliptic, 6–10 × 4.5–7mm, flat. Fl. Mar–Oct, fr. Jul–Apr of following year.

Thin forests. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, ?Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan, ?Zhejiang [Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, ?Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

1a.. Leaflets broadly acute, straight at apex ........................................................... 16a. subsp. kerrii

1b.. Leaflets sharply acute, asymmetrical at apex, bent forward ...................  16b. subsp. hainanensis

 

16a. Acacia pennata subsp. kerrii I. C. Nielsen, Adansonia, ser. 2, 19: 353. 1980.

羽叶金合欢  yu ye jin he huan

Glands subpulvinate, elliptic, 1–3 mm in diam. Leaflets broadly acute, straight at apex, main vein not parallel to upper margin. Inflorescences yellow pubescent. Corolla 2.5–3.2 mm.

Thin forests, thickets. Yunnan [Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

16b. Acacia pennata subsp. hainanensis (Hayata) I. C. Nielsen, Adansonia, ser. 2, 19: 352. 1980.

海南羽叶金合欢  hai nan yu ye jin he huan

Acacia hainanensis Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formosan. 3: 86. 1913.

Glands narrowly terete or slightly obconic, 0.3–0.8 mm in diam. Leaflets sharply acute, bent forward. Inflorescences reddish glandular hairy. Flowers subsessile. Corolla 2–2.5 mm.

Thin forests, thickets. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan [India, Myanmar, Vietnam].

17. Acacia megaladena Desvaux, J. Bot. (Desvaux) 1: 69. 1814.

钝叶金合欢  dun ye jin he huan

Climbers woody. Young branchlets pubescent and glandular hairy, glabrescent when old. Stipules linear to filiform, 2–3 cm; petiole 2.5–6.5 cm; glands at or above middle, elliptic and raised, rarely flat; pinnae 8–20 pairs, rachis 2–12 cm; leaflets 19–81 pairs, oblong, (2–)3.5–7.5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, both surfaces glabrous, except ciliate along margin, midvein close to upper margin, base truncate, unequal, apex obtuse, straight. Heads globose, arranged in terminal or axillary panicles. Flowers sessile or subsessile. Calyx 1.7–2.9 mm, glabrous, puberulent, or velutinous, 5-toothed. Corolla light yellow, 2–4.2 mm, glabrous or puberulent; lobes oblong or narrowly obovate, 0.8–1.1 mm. Stamens numerous. Ovary sericeous, shortly stalked. Pods red-brown, oblong, flat, 9.5–17 × 1.3–3.5 cm, papery, glabrous. Seeds brown, ovoid-ellipsoidal to ellipsoidal, flat, 7–9 × 4.5–5.5 mm. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct.

Thin forests or thickets; [800–1600 m]. Guangxi, Yunnan [widely distributed in tropical Asia].

1a. Calyx glabrous to faintly puberulen