Towards a Classification of the African Acacias

Abstract

Some of the first attempts to subdivide the genus Acacia Mill, as a whole are discussed briefly. Bentham’s work, in which the subdivisions of the genus were for the first time given names, is considered and his two series into which the African species fall are reproduced. The characters employed by various workers to divide the African species into two main groups are mentioned and the advantages of using each of these characters for the first dichotomy in a key are discussed. Recent work on pollen morphology and seedling morphology is correlated with general morphology. A proposal put forward by Guinet to divide Acacia into three large genera on the basis of pollen morphology is briefly discussed. Certain modifications to Bentham's series Vulgares and Gummiferae are suggested.