3059

11: Auxiliary plants

Acacia muricata (L.) Willd.

LEGUMINOSAE - MIMOSOIDEAE

Spineless acacia, ironwood (En).

Originates from the West Indies, introduced into many tropical countries.

An alternative to Leucaena leucocephala (Lamk) de Wit where the latter is affected by psyllids.

Deciduous, small tree up to 10 m tall, stem diameter up to 15 cm, crown thin. Bark grey, smooth. Twigs light green, spineless. Leaves bipinnate, alternate; rachis 5—12.5 cm long, with cup-like glands at the bases of 4—6 pairs of secondary axes 7.5—12.5 cm long; leaflets about 12 pairs, obliquely broad-ovate, sides unequal, midrib near one edge, apex and base truncate to rounded. Flowers in spikes near the apex of twigs before leaves unfold, 6 mm long, fragrant; calyx and corolla light yellow, 5-lobed; stamens white, exserted. Pod linear, flat, elliptical-oblong, 12—16 mm long, 1—2 per spike, 6—12-seeded. Wood hard, heavy, strong and durable. Acacia muricata is found in moist forest up to 330 m altitude.

[63]Harden, G.J. (Editor), 1987–1991. Flora of mainland New South Wales. 4 volumes. New South Wales University Press, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia.
[83]Jessop, J.P. & Toelken, H.R. (Editors), 1986. Flora of South Australia. 4th Edition. 4 volumes. South Australia Government Printing Division, Adelaide, Australia. 2248 pp.

M.S.M. Sosef & L.J.G. van der Maesen

Sosef, M.S.M. & van der Maesen, L.J.G., 1997. Acacia muricata (L.) Willd.. In: Faridah Hanum, I & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 11: Auxiliary plants. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea