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Definition: Acacia farnesiana

Part of Speech Definition
Noun 1. Tropical American thorny shrub or small tree; fragrant yellow flowers used in making perfumery.[Wordnet].

Source: WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

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Extended Definition: Acacia farnesiana

Acacia farnesiana

Needle Bush
Acacia farnesiana
Acacia farnesiana
Conservation status

Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Acacia
Species: A. farnesiana
Binomial name
Acacia farnesiana
(L.) Willd.
Range of Acacia farnesiana
Range of Acacia farnesiana
Synonyms
  • "Acacia acicularis Willd.
  • Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. lenticellata (F.Muell.)Bailey
  • Acacia indica (Poir.) Desv.
  • Acacia lenticellata F. Muell.
  • Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch.
  • Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch. subsp. minuta (M.E.Jones)R.M.Beauch.
  • Farnesia odora Gasp.
  • Farnesiana odora Gasp.
  • Mimosa acicularis Poir.
  • Mimosa farnesiana L.
  • Mimosa indica Poir.
  • Mimosa suaveolens Salisb.
  • Pithecellobium acuminatum M.E. Jones
  • Pithecellobium minutum M.E. Jones
  • Popanax farnesiana (L.) Raf.
  • Poponax farnesiana (L.) Raf.
  • Vachellia farnesiana Wight & Arn."[1]

Acacia farnesiana, commonly known as Needle Bush, is so named because of the numerous thorns distributed along its branches. The native range of A. farnesiana is uncertain. While the point of origin is Mexico and Central America the species has a pantropical distribution incorporating Northern Australia and Southern Asia. It remains unclear whether the extra-American distribution is primarily natural or anthropogenic.[2] It is deciduous over part of its range,[3] but evergreen in most locales.[4] The species grows to a height of up to 8m tall[5] and has a life span of about 25-50 years.[6]

Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd.
Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd.

The plant has been recently spread to many new locations as a result of human activity and it is considered a serious weed in Fiji, where locals call it Ellington's Curse. It thrives in dry, saline or sodic soils. It is also a serious pest plant in parts of Australia, including north-west New South Wales, where it now infests thousands of acres of grazing country.[7]

The taxon name "farnesiana" comes from the Farnese Gardens in Rome. It was brought there from the Caribbean and Central America.[8]

A little of the Uses

Bark and Thorns of Acacia farnesiana
Bark and Thorns of Acacia farnesiana

Bark

The bark is used for its tannin content.[5]

Food

"Roasted pods used in sweet and sour dishes."[9]

Flowers

The flowers are processed through distillation to produce a perfume called Cassie. It is widely used in the perfume industry in Europe. Scented ointments from Cassie are made in India.[5]

Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. - sweet acacia seeds
Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. - sweet acacia seeds

Foliage

The foliage is a significant source of forage in much of its range, with a protein content of around 18%.

Seed pods

The concentration of tannin in the seed pods is about 23%.

Seeds

The seeds of A. farnesiana are completely non-toxic to humans[10] and are a valuable food source for people throughout the plant's range. The mature seeds are put through a press to make oil for cooking.[11] Nonetheless an anecdotal report has been made that in Brazil some people use the seeds of A. farnesiana to eliminate rabid dogs.[5] This is attributed to an unnamed toxic alkaloid.

Forage

The tree makes good forage for bees.[12]

Dyes and Inks

A black pigment is extracted from the bark and fruit.[12]

Perfume

Acaci farnesiana flowers are distilled in the south of France to make an essential oil called Cassie which is used as a basis for aromatherapy and perfume.[13]

Traditional medicine

The bark and the flowers are the parts of the tree most used in traditional medicine.[11] A. farnesiana has been used in Colombia to treat malaria, and recently it has been been confirmed in the laboratory that extract from the tree bark[14] and leaves[15] is effective against the malarial pathogen Plasmodium falciparum.[16] Indiginous Australians have used the roots and bark of the tree to treat diarrhea and diseases of the skin.[12] The tree's leaves can also be rubbed on the skin to treat skin diseases.[17]

One or more alkaloids present in Acacia farnesiana: "phenethylamine; N-methly-.beta.-phenethylamine; tyramine; hordenine; N,N-dimethyl-phenethylamine; and N,N-dimethyl-.alpha.-methylphenethylamine" in the "leaves, bark, and roots."[18]

The following compounds are said to be in Acacia farnesiana:

  • 5-MeO-DMT[19]
  • Tryptamine[20]
  • β-methyl-phenethylamine, flower.[21]

Ether extracts about 2-6% of the dried leaf mass.[22] Alkaloids are present in the bark.[23]

Common names

Farnese Wattle, Dead Finish, Mimosa Wattle, Mimosa bush, Prickly Mimosa Bush, Prickly Moses, Needle Bush, North-west Curara, Sheep's Briar, Sponge Wattle, Sweet Acacia, Thorny Acacia, Thorny Feather Wattle, Wild Briar, Huisache, Cassie, Cascalotte, Cassic, Mealy Wattle, Popinac, Sweet Briar, Texas Huisache, Aroma, (Bahamas) Cashia, (Bahamas, USA) Opoponax, Cashaw, (Belize) Cuntich, (Jamaica) Cassie-flower, Cassie, Iron Wood, Cassie Flower, Honey-ball, Casha Tree, Casha, (Virgin Islands) Cassia, (Fiji) Ellington's Curse.

Botanical varieties

  • Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. farnesiana
  • Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. guanacastensis H.D.Clarke et al.

References

Notes

  1. ILDIS
  2. Clarke, H.D., Seigler, D.S., Ebinger, J.E. 1989; 'Acacia farnesiana (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) and Related Species from Mexico, the Southwestern U.S., and the Caribbean' Systematic Botany 14 549-564
  3. PDF Ursula K. Schuch and Margaret Norem, Growth of Legume Tree Species Growing in the Southwestern United States, University of Arizona.
  4. Discover Life - Fabaceae: Acacia farnesiana (L. ) Willd. - Cassie Flower, Vachellia farnesiana, Poponax farnesiana, Mimosa farnesiana, Ellington Curse, Klu, Sweet Acacia, Mimosa Bush, Huisache
  5. a b c d Purdue University
  6. Acacia Search
  7. Mimosa bush - briar bush. www.northwestweeds.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  8. HENRY TRIMBLE AND F. D. MACFARLAND., AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY, Volume 57, #3, March, 1885
  9. www.one-garden.org
  10. Food Standards Australia
  11. a b www.mhra.gov.uk
  12. a b c Bottlebrush Press
  13. ACACIA FARNESIANA (Linn) Willd.
  14. Khare, C. P. (2004). Indian Herbal Remediess: rational Western therapy, ayurvedic, and other traditional usage, botany, 11. ISBN 3540010262. 
  15. G. Garavitoa, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, J. Rincóna, L. Arteagaa, Y. Hataa, G. Bourdyb, A. Gimenezc, R. Pinzóna and E. Deharo, Ethnopharmacological communication Antimalarial activity of some Colombian medicinal plants Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 107, Issue 3, 11 October 2006, Pages 460-462
  16. Abstract of G. Garavitoa, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, J. Rincóna, L. Arteagaa, Y. Hataa, G. Bourdyb, A. Gimenezc, R. Pinzóna and E. Deharo, Ethnopharmacological communication, Antimalarial activity of some Colombian medicinal plants Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 107, Issue 3, 11 October 2006, Pages 460-462.
  17. Philippine Herbs Used in Small Animal Practice
  18. Dietary supplement and method of using same. United States Patent 20060204599
  19. Lycaeum
  20. Selected Plants of Medicinal Value in Costa Rica
  21. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
  22. Wattle Seed Workshop Proceedings 12 March 2002, Canberra March 2003 RIRDC Publication No 03/024, RIRDC Project No WS012-06
  23. www.bpi.da.gov.ph

General references

  • List of Acacia species

External links

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Acacia farnesiana". Image Credit.
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