What does «acacia» mean in Spanish?
- Genus of hardwood trees, flowers in clusters. Mimosaceae. A genus of trees and shrubs widely distributed in tropical and temperate regions, belonging to the legume family. The leaves of its 450 species vary from bipinnate to very small petioles similar to leaves or filodes. The flowers appear in spikes, clusters, in pairs or singly, depending on the species; their color varies from yellow-orange to white. In most varieties, the small stipule becomes the spine that gives the genus its name. The spines of some tropical species are large enough to serve as anthills. Many of the North American species are native to the southern United States and Mexico. Shrub and small tree varieties include the following: A. armata, kangaroo thorn, which is used in hedges and for reclaiming dune land because of its hardiness and easy propagation; A. baileyana, an ornamental species sometimes used as street ornament; A. pubescens, downy wattle, a favorite greenhouse plant with feathery leaves and bright flowers; A. pycnantha, wattle, golden, from S Australia, with the highest tannin content of all the acacias and whose fragrant flowers are used in perfumery; A. pendula, weeping, decorative species with pendulous foliage; A. calamifolia, ornamental, with high tannin content; A. tenuifolia, prized for its fragrant, evergreen flowers. Among the large trees is the A. sentis of Australia, 9 to 12 m high.