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ACACIA mearnsii De Wild. [family LEGUMINOSAE-MIMOSOIDEAE]

Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (1959) Author: J. P. M. Brenan
Names
ACACIA mearnsii De Wild. [family LEGUMINOSAE-MIMOSOIDEAE], Pl. Bequaert. 3: 62 (1925). Types: Kenya, near Thika, Mearns 1092 (BR, lecto.!, BM, isolecto.!)
ACACIA mollissima [family LEGUMINOSAE-MIMOSOIDEAE], [sensu T.T.C.L.: 333 (1949); et auct. al. mult., non Willd.]
ACACIA decurrens Lindl. var. mollis [family LEGUMINOSAE-MIMOSOIDEAE], in Bot. Reg., t. 371 (1819); Gilb. & Bout. in F.C.B. 3: 168 (1952); Dale, Introd. Trees Uganda: 2 (1953). Type: a cultivated plant (location of holo. unknown, perhaps not preserved, not at CGE)
ACACIA decurrens [family LEGUMINOSAE-MIMOSOIDEAE], [sensu L.T.A.: 853 (1930) saltern pro parte, non Willd. sensu stricto]
Information
Tree 2–15 m. high, unarmed; crown conical or rounded; all parts (except flowers) ± densely pubescent or puberulous. Leaves: petiole 1.5–2.5 cm. long, with a gland above; rhachis usually 4–12 cm. long, with numerous raised glands all along its upper side; pinnae (8–)12–21 pairs; leaflets usually in 16–70 pairs, linear-oblong, 1.5–4 mm. long, 0.5–0.75 mm. wide. Flowers pale yellow, fragrant, in heads 5–8 mm. in diameter on peduncles 2–6 mm. long, panicled. Pods (Fig. 15/21, p. 66) ± grey-puberulous, jointed, almost moniliform, dehiscing (in Australia forms with less moniliform, almost glabrous pods occur), usually about 3–10 cm. long and 0.5–0.8 cm. wide, with 3–12 joints. Seeds black, smooth, elliptic, compressed, 5 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide; caruncle conspicuous; areole 3.5 mm. long, 2 mm. wide.
Range
DISTR. U2; T7; becoming naturalized in K4 & T3 (fide Greenway) native of Australia, introduced into the Old World
Altitude range
altitude range uncertain: Eggeling 1056 at 1615 m. Frequently naturalized in upland grassland around Njombe at about 1800 m.
Distribution
UGANDA Ankole District S. of Ruborogoto, Oct. 1932, Eggeling 682 in F.H. 1056!
Notes
This is the well-known Australian “Black Wattle”, which is economically important on account of its tan bark, and is also used for building and firewood. This alone among the various introduced wattles seems to have made itself sufficiently at home in East Africa to merit inclusion among the wild species. It is commonly planted in East Africa, as in K4 and T2 and 3, whence I have seen specimens.
ACACIA mearnsii De Wild. [family LEGUMINOSAE-MIMOSOIDEAE]
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