Name
Acaciella glauca (L.) L. Rico
Rico Arce & BachmanAnales del Jardín Botánico de MadridVol. 63(2): 189-244July-December 2006
Synonymy and types
Mimosa glauca L., Sp. Pl.: 520. 1753, basion. Acacia glauca (L.) Moench, Meth. Pl.: 466. 1794. Type: "Habitat in America" (lectotype, designated by: de Wit 1961, L, Herb. A. van Royen s.n., sheet no. 908.132-54).
Acaciella curassavica Britton & Killip ex Killip, J. Washington Ac. Sci. 24: 47. 1934. Acacia curassavica (Britton & Killip ex Killip) Stehlé, Bull. du Mus. Hist. Natl., ser. 2, 18: 191. 1946. Type: Netherlands Antilles: Curaçao, limestone rocks near Willemstad, 20-27 March, 1913, N.L. Britton & J.A. Shafer 2943 (holotype, NY!; isotypes, U, US).
Formal description
Shrub to 6 m tall, glabrous. Stipules linear, 5 mm long, fugacious. Leaves 10(15) cm long; petiole 2.5- 3.5 cm long, terete, glabrous or sparingly strigose; rachis 4-5 cm long, glabrous or sparingly shortstrigose, with 2-8 pairs of pinnae; pinnae 4-5 cm long; paraphyllidia <1 mm long; leaflets 6-21 pairs per pinna, 3.5-9 × 3-6 mm, oblong-elliptic, base obtuse, apex rounded to slightly acute, venation reticulate (brochidodromous), visible only on the under surface, glabrous on both surfaces or occasionally shortstrigose below, margins slightly involute on basal half, membranaceous. Inflorescences consisting of clusters of 2-3 capitulum-like racemes on main axis to 12 cm long, glabrous; peduncles 1-1.5 cm long, glabrous, without pearl glands; a single inflorescence bract at the base of each raceme peduncle, linear, 2-2.5 mm, glabrous, fugacious; floral bract 1 mm long, glabrous, clavate, fugacious; pedicels 1 mm long, glabrous; flowers white, yellow when dry, in short racemes, 1.5- 2 cm long, when elongated, or 1.5 cm diam. when capitulum- like at anthesis. Calyx 1 mm long, 5-lobed, the lobes less than ¼ of the length of the whole calyx, glabrous. Corolla 2-2.5 mm long, 5-lobed, the lobes to more than half the whole corolla length, glabrous. Stamens 6-7 mm long. Ovary c. 1 mm long, glabrous, short-stipitate; the stipe 0.4 mm long; basal nectary 0.4 mm high. Legume 4.5-8 × 1.2-1.5 × 0.3 cm, flat, straight; valves chartaceous, conspicuously reticulate veined, glabrous, acute at the base and apex; stipe (0.6)1-1.5 cm long; beak 1-2.5 mm long. Seeds 8 per fruit, broadly ellipsoid, 3.5 × 3 × 1.8 mm.
Distribution
South America: Venezuelan coast; Caribbean: Barbados, Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles), St. Vincent and Martinique, Introduced to Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and West Java.
Additional info
Habitat. From sea level to 500 m.
Flowering time
Flowering and fruiting in January to February.
Representative specimens
BARBADOS:
St. John:
- 13º 11' N, 59º 34' W,-I-1940, Goodwing, E.G. 488 (BM).
INDONESIA:
Bogor:
- Bodjong Gedeh, 250 m, 21-II-1951, Nedi & Idjan 438 (K).
MARTINIQUE:
- 14º 29' N, 60º 52' W, van Rohr 134 (BM); van Rohr 336 (BM).
MONSERRAT:
Isles Bay:
- [Saint Peter Parish, Illes] Bay, 16º 44' N, 62º 13' W, 193 m, 17-II-1980, Howard, R.A. 19623 (BM, G).
Olveston:
- 16º 44' N, 62º 13' W, 193 m, 14-I-1961, Howard, R.A. 15177 (BM);
- Olveston area, roadside, 16º 44' N, 62º 13' W, 193 m, 16-IV-1979, Howard, R.A. 19177 (BM).
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES:
Curaçao:
- Near Willemstad, 12º 06' N, 68º 55' W,-III-1913, Britton, N.L. 2943 (NY);-XI- 1970, Broeders, Arnoldo Fr. 3931 (BM).
ST. VICENT:
Glen Farm:
- 13º 10' N, 61º 10' W, 100 m, 3-II-1944, Beard, J.S. 223 (K). St. George Parish: 13º 10' N, 61º 10' W, 14-I-1962, Colley, G.R. 8152 (K).
THAILAND:
Central Bangkok:
- Royal Forest Department, Royal Forest Depl. Bangkhen, 22-XI- 1960, Tanwuttho, A. 40367 (K).
VENEZUELA:
Miranda:
- 16 km W of Paracotos, 10º 16'17'' N, 66º 57'10'' W, 430 m, 17-I-1985, Johnson, C.D. 3664-85 (MO).