Name

Acaciella villosa (Sw.) Britton & Rose, N. Amer.  Fl. 23: 104. 1928.

Rico Arce & Bachman
Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid
Vol. 63(2): 189-244
July-December 2006

Synonymy and types

Mimosa villosa Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 2: 982. 1800. Acacia  villosa (Sw.) Willd., Sp. Pl. 4: 1067. 1806. Type: Mexico: Veracruz, Houston s.n. (lectotype, designated  here, BM-herb. Sloane!). 

Acacia carbonaria Schldl., Linnaea 12: 571. 1838.  Acaciella carbonaria (Schldl.) Britton & Rose, N.  Amer. Fl. 23: 98. 1928. Bässler (1998) equated  Acacia carbonaria Schldl. with Mimosa villosa  Sw. Type: Mexico: Veracruz, inter Veracruz et Plan del  Río, Schiede & Deppe 695 (holotype, HAL; fragment  and photograph of type US!). 

Acacia cumingii Benth., Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. 1:  525. 1842. Acaciella cumingii (Benth.) Britton &  Rose, N. Amer. Fl. 23: 104. 1928. Type: "Panama et Columbia occidentalis", 1831, H.  Cuming 1242 (lectotype, designated here, K!; isolectotype,  US). 

Mimosa microphylla Mociño & Sessé, Flora Mexicana  225. 1895. Type: Mexico: without exact locality, Mociño & Sessé  s.n. (lectotype, designated here, MA; isolectotype,  OXF!). 

Acacia polypodioides Standl., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb.  20: 184. 1919. Type: Mexico: Chiapas, Chiapa de Corzo, E.A. Goldman  1001 (lectotype, designated here, US!; isolectotype  [fragment], NY!). 

Acacia calderonii Standl., J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 12: 439.  1923. Acaciella calderonii (Standl.) Britton et Rose,  N. Amer. Fl. 23: 99. 1928. Type: Guatemala: Cerro de la Olla, cerca de Chalchuapa  (El Salvador), S. Calderón 977 (lectotype,  designated here, US-1151942!; isolectotype,  NY!). 

Acaciella rekoi Britton & Rose, N. Amer. Fl. 23: 98.  1928. Type: Mexico: Oaxaca, Las Pilas, B.P. Reko 3612 (holotype,  US!; isotype, NY!). 

Acaciella fisheri Britton & Rose, N. Amer. Fl. 23: 99.  1928. Type: Mexico: Veracruz, Mata de Agua, G.L. Fisher  81 (holotype, NY!; isotypes, GH!, US!). 

Acaciella bakeri Britton & Rose, N. Amer. Fl. 23: 99.  1928. Type: Nicaragua: Granada, G.F. Baker 116 (holotype,  NY!; isotypes, GH!, MICH, US!). 

Acaciella oerstedii Britton & Rose, N. Amer. Fl. 23:  104. 1928. Type: Costa Rica: without exact locality, 1846-1848,  A.S. Oersted s.n. (lectotype, designated here, NY;  isolectotypes, BM!, K!). 

Acacia valenzuelana A. Rich., Hist. Phys. Cuba, Pl.  Vas.: 462. 1846. Acaciella valenzuelana (A. Rich.)  Britton & Rose, N. Amer. Fl. 23: 104. 1928. Type: Cuba: [Province of Pinal del Río] Vuelta de  Abajo, Ramón de la Sagra s.n. (lectotype, designated by Bässler, 1998: 101, P!; isolectotypes [fragment],  NY!).

Formal description

Shrub or tree to 2-5 m tall, glabrous to yellow-hirsute  pubescent. Stipules linear, 3.5-5 mm long, fugacious.  Leaves 7-16(24) cm long; petiole (1.5)2.5-3 cm  long, terete, pubescent; rachis 2.5-5 (6) cm long, pubescent,  with (3)4-9 pairs of pinnae; pinnae 3.5-5.5  cm long; paraphyllidia 0.3-0.5 mm long; leaflets 9-29  pairs per pinna, (1)2.5-6(10) × 2.5-3(5) mm, oblong,  chartaceous, base truncate to truncate-oblique, apex  acute to apiculate, main vein subcentral, very inconspicuous  reticulate venation visible only on the undersurface,  strigose to sericeous pubescent on both surfaces,  margins involute. Inflorescences consisting of  clusters of (1)2-3 axillary, or sometimes terminal  racemes, with an axis, 8-9(17) cm long, hirsutellous;  peduncles (0.7)1.5-2 cm long; strigose, pubescent,  without pearl glands; two inflorescence bracts, pubescent,  one on the peduncle base, 2 mm long, fugaceous,  another inserted about the middle of the peduncle  or near to the raceme, 1.5 mm long, fugacious;  floral bract 1 mm long, pubescent, clavate, persistent  almost until anthesis; pedicels 1.5-2 mm long,  glabrous, without pearl glands; flowers white, when  dry reddish, in capitulum-like racemes, 1.3-1.5 mm in  diam, occasionally the racemes elongate to 2 cm in  length at anthesis. Calyx (0.5)0.7(1) mm long, 5-  lobed, the lobes less than ¼ the length of the whole calyx,  usually glabrous or puberulous. Corolla 2.5-3 mm  long, 5-lobed, the lobes to more than half the whole  corolla length, pubescent only on the lobes. Stamens 5  mm long. Ovary 1-1.5 mm long, glabrous, short-stipitate,  the stipe shorter than the ovary, c. 1 mm long;  basal nectary 0.5 mm high. Legume (3.5)4-5(6) × 0.9-  1.5 × 0.2 cm, flat, straight; valves chartaceous, densely  pubescent, glabrescent, acute at the base and apex;  stipe 7.5-13 mm long; legume usually with an apical  beak. Seeds 4-8 per fruit, almost spherical, 5 × 3.5 × 2-  3 mm.

Distribution

Mexico central to Panama, and South  America: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru;  Caribbean: Jamaica. Presumably introduced in Cuba.

Additional info

Habitat. Thorny scrub with leguminous trees and  cacti; secondary vegetation derived from low seasonally  dry forest; Quercus and mixed Pinus-Quercus forest,  sand dunes, grassland or savanna-like vegetation;  the species tolerates acid and basic soils, those with  volcanic parent rock or limestone, sands or clayloams.  Alt. (20)300-920(2000) m.

Flowering time

Flowering and fruiting all year; lowest  fruiting period April to July.

Representative specimens

COLOMBIA:

Cundinamarca:

• Bogota, CIAT s.n. (K). COSTA  RICA. without exact locality, collected between 1846-1848,  Oersted, A.S. s.n. (BM, K, NY). Guanacaste:
• P.N. Santa Rosa, de  bahía Salinas a Santa Cecilia, Laguna Escondida, 10º 51' N, 85º  38' W, 300 m, 22-VIII-1995, Espinoza, Roberto 1353A (K). Gulf  of Honda:
• 9º 28' N, 84º 03' W, Oersted, A.S. s.n. (K, MEXU);
• 9º  54' N, 83º 47' W, Oersted, A.S. s.n. (K, MEXU). CUBA. Pinal de  Río:
• Vuelta de Abajo, 22º 25'03'' N, 83º 41'53'' W, de la Sagra, R.  s.n. (P).

ECUADOR:

Loja:

• Celica-Catacocha, km 7, via Empalme,  4º 08' S, 79º 55' W, 1780 m, 8-III-1997, Lewis, G.P. 3069  (K).

EL SALVADOR:

San Salvador:

• 2 km southwest of La Libertad,  150 m, 15-VIII-1938, Worth C.R. 8840 (G, K, MEXU). 

GUATEMALA:

• Cerro de la Olla, cerca de Chalupa (El Salvador),  Calderón, S. 977 (NY, US).

HONDURAS:

Valle:

• On the  lower southern slopes of Isla Zacate Grande about 1.5 km west of  the small village of Coyolito on the coastal track running west towards  Punta Novillo, 13º 19' N, 87º 38' W, 60 m, 26-X-1988,  Hawkins, J. 3 (K).

JAMAICA:

• [Westermoreland] Amity, 1º  15'80'' N, 78º 06' W, 58 m, 1730, Houston s.n. (BM).

Arntally:

• VIII-1927, Orcutt, C.R. 2782 (G).

Blue Mountains:

• 18º 00' N,  76º 40' W, 6-IV-1916, Perkins, J.R. 1027 (G).

Mona Island:

• Above Hope River, 1 m E of Mona Heights, 18º 03' N, 76º 45' W,  120 m, 13-X-1957, Yuncker, T.G. 17049 (G).

Parish of Saint Andrew:

• Papine to Irish Town, 18º 01' N, 76º 44' W, 476 m, 3-VIII-  1960, Adams, C.D. 7739 (BM);
• Green River crossing, below  Mavis Bank, 18º 02' N, 76º 40' W, 669 m, 16-VII-1926, Maxon,  W.R. 10264 (BM).

Parish of Saint Catherine:

• Hope, 18º 01' 61''  N, 77º 01' W, 150 m, 6-I-1898, Harris, W. 6965 (660).

MEXICO:

Chiapas:

• 4 km al N de la desviación a Apitpac, carr. Ocozocoautla- Cintalapa, 16º 46' N, 93º 22' W, 830 m, 12-VIII-1985,  Espejo Serna, A. 2062 (MEXU);
• Terracería de Arriaga-Col. 20 de  Nov, 16º 16'42'' N, 93º 50'46'' W, 233 m, 9-VI-2002, Reyes-García,  A. 5073 (BM, MEXU).

Durango:

• El Cinco, 10 km al NE de  Toyaltita, 24º 11' N, 105º 57' W, 1530 m, 8-VII-1984, Tenorio, P.  6303 (MEXU).

Guerrero:

• Acapulco, Bahia de, 16º 50' N, 99º 53'  W, 130 m, 20-I-1955, Carlson, M. 3070 (MEXU);
• Cuatepec, Costa  Chica, San Agustín Cuilutla,, 17º 46' N, 99º 46' W, 28-XI-  1985, Herrera Castro, N. 46 (FCME, MEXU);
• San Luis, Boca, 17º  14' N, 100º 54' W, 25-II-1899, Langlasse 925 (G, K, MEXU). 

Jalisco:

• Río Horcones, 27 km S Puerto, Gorge of the Rio Horcones,  about 27 km by road south from Puerto Vallarta, 400 m, 4-  XI- 1971, Jennie V.A. Dieterle 4059 (MEXU).

Nayarit:

• 3 km al E  del Cora, terracería al Cuarenteño, 29-III-1987, Téllez, O. 10054  (K, MEXU).

Oaxaca:

• Sierra Sur, 6 km al SE de El Camarón, San  Carlos Yautepec, 16º 30' N, 96º 06' W, 920 m, 8-VII-1987, Acosta,  S. 729 (MEXU);
• Huatulco, Bahía de, Punta San Agustín, 15º  45' N, 96º 08' W, 10 m, Castillo C., G. 9765 (MEXU).

Puebla:

• Matamoros, 18º 36' N, 98º 28' W, 27-VI-1942, Miranda, F. 2152  (K, MEXU).

Veracruz:

• Puente Nacional, 19º 20' N, 96º 26' W,  150 m, 18-IX-1974, Ventura, F. 10567 (ENCB, MEXU). 

NICARAGUA:

Managua:

• 12º 10' 08'' N, 86º 02' 05'' W, 43 m,  1887, Oersted, A.S. s.n. (K);
• 12º 09' 30'' N, 86º 16' 06'' W, 75 m,  1887, Oersted, A.S. s.n. (K).

PERU:

Amazonas:

• 14 km NW of Pedro  Ruíz, Rd Bagua, in the deep cut Valley of the Rio Utcubamba,  5º 52'06'' S, 78º 11'40'' W, 1100 m, 15-II-2001, Hughes, C.E.  2034 (FHO, K).

VENEZUELA:

Aragua:

• Redoma de Tejerías,  10º 15' N, 67º 10' W, 489 m, 5-V-1968, Cárdenas de G., L. 376  (NY).

Maracay:

• 10º 15' N, 67º 36' W, 547 m, Vogl Pater, C. 552  (M).

Zulía:

• Jardín Botánico de Maracaibo, 10º 37' 54'' N, 71º 38'  26'' W, 2 m, 1900, Bunting, G.S. 6594 (NY). 

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