Varieties of acacia: photos and names

Varieties of acacia are very numerous. Shrubs and trees differ from each other in size and characteristics of flowering, as well as requirements for growing conditions.

Acacia: photo and description of the tree

Acacia is a flowering plant in the legume family. It is a medium-sized shrub or tree up to 25 m tall with a girth of the trunk up to 1,2 m. It has a powerful root system with a main stem and numerous superficial processes. The bark is smooth and green at a young age, later gray or brown, covered with cracks.

The leaves of the plant are paired or twice paired, complex, arranged on the branches in an alternate or whorled order. In many varieties, instead of plates, shoots are covered with needle-like or lanceolate phyllodes. Flowering occurs most often in late May or early June, the buds of the plant are small, collected in brushes, panicles or capitate inflorescences. They have 3-5 petals in white, yellow, orange or cream. The fruits are elongated beans with spherical or elongated flattened black or light brown seeds.

In its natural form, the plant is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. It is found in Australia, Mexico, Africa and Asia, India and Madagascar. Artificial shrubs are grown all over the world. Most often, the culture is bred indoors, since it does not tolerate the harsh climate well.

Acacia bushes begin to bloom in the second season after planting and then bloom annually

Types of acacia with photos and names

Acacia is very different – tall and miniature, with early and late flowering. To get a good idea of ​​the shrub, you need to study the popular species.

curved

Crooked Acacia (Acacia adunca) is a shrub native to Australia. It has straight branches directed upwards at an acute angle, and elongated paired leaves. Brings carpal inflorescences, consisting of several spherical heads of a light yellow hue. The beans of the variety are narrow, up to 7 cm in length.

Curved acacia in nature reaches 6 m above the ground

Magnificent

The magnificent acacia (Acacia spectabilis) is a medium-sized variety up to 4 m above the ground. The leaves are pinnate, the flowers are collected in bright yellow heads. The variety blooms mainly from July to November. After flowering, it bears fruit-pods up to 17 cm long.

Acacia splendid is common in North America and Australia.

willow

Among the types of acacia with photos and names in Our Country, willow (Acacia saligna) deserves attention – a small tree or shrub up to 5 m tall. It has spreading outlines, brings numerous rich yellow flowers. It grows naturally in Africa, Australia and the Middle East, as well as South America.

Willow acacia variety is often used to prevent soil erosion and revegetate

Mixed

Mixed acacia (Acacia confusa) is a tall tree reaching 15 m above the ground. The species is common in Hawaii and other tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. It has a very dense wood, the plant is used in construction and for the manufacture of coal.

Mixed acacia has medicinal properties and is used in folk medicine

long-leaved

Long-leaved acacia (Acacia longifolia) is a tall tree up to 7 m above the ground. The homeland of the plant is Australia, it can also be found in some states of the United States. It blooms with bright light yellow panicles, blooms in late spring and early summer. The variety is used, including for food purposes – buds and beans are edible.

The long-leaved acacia variety grows to maximum levels in an average of 5-6 years

myrtle leaf

Myrtle acacia (Acacia myrtifolia) is a relatively low shrub. Blooms in winter and spring, occurs naturally in Australia. It blooms in numerous buds of a light yellow or cream shade.

The height of the myrtle acacia variety is about 3 m

Double-edged

Acacia double-edged, or bordered (Acacia anceps) – a low shrub with wide spreading branches. It has ovate narrowed leaves, the flowers bring rich yellow, axillary. The buds are arranged in a single order on long pedicels.

Double-edged acacia can reach 3 m above the ground

Silvery

Silver Acacia (Acacia dealbata) is a tall tree up to 10 m above the ground. It has straight branches with a whitish smooth bark, leaf plates are doubly pinnate, ashy in color. During flowering brings small spherical buds up to 8 mm in diameter. Distributed in India, China, Australia and West Africa.

During the flowering period, the silvery acacia variety exudes a pleasant aroma.

leafless

Leafless Acacia (Acacia aphylla) – shrub only up to 2,5 m in height. In accordance with the name, it does not have leaf plates, but it blooms with numerous golden rounded flowers. In its natural form, the acacia variety grows in the tropics on rocky soils. From December to March, the shrub bears abundant fruit.

Leafless variety blooms late – in August and early September

Veinless

A species of flowering acacia veinless (Acacia aneura) has medium dimensions and stretches up to 2-7 m. It is an endemic plant, found in its natural environment only in Australia. Used as feed for livestock.

The veinless locust tolerates severe drought well and is suitable for growing in the poorest soils.

armed

Armed acacia (Acacia armata) is an ornamental shrub with knotted branches covered with thorns. It spreads widely to the sides in the process of development. In spring, it blooms with bright yellow plentiful inflorescences.

Armed acacia grows up to 3 m above the ground

multithorny

Acacia razor-thorn (Acacia ataxacantha) is a shrub popular with gardeners with climbing shoots. The branches are covered with large curved spikes up to 1 cm long, resembling claws in appearance. With the help of thorns, the plant clings to the support and rises up. The leaves are two-pinnate, up to 15 cm long, the inflorescences are spike-shaped white.

The length of the inflorescences of the multi-thorny acacia variety reaches 8 cm

Prickly

Prickly acacia (Acacia tetragonophylla) is an Australian plant up to 4 m above the ground. Instead of leaves, phyllodes up to 3 cm long are present on the branches, at a young age they are soft and flexible, then turn into thorns. Photos and descriptions of acacia shrubs show that the flowers of the variety are yellow, collected in spherical heads.

The prickly acacia variety is also known as curare.

Ashby

Ashby’s acacia (Acacia ashbyae) is a shrub up to 2 m long, blooming with small yellow flowers in short racemes. The leaves of the plant are oblong, dense, up to 9 cm long, very narrow with a solid edge. Immediately after the appearance of the plate, cream or with whitish pubescence, then become light green.

Ashby variety can grow up to 2 m in diameter

Bailey

Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana) is an Australian medium-sized tree with miniature narrow leaves. The plates are pale green with a silvery coating, doubly pinnate, individual segments reach up to 6 mm in length. The flowers of the variety are pale yellow, collected in brushes of ten. During the decorative period, the shrub emits a light pleasant aroma.

Acacia Bailey blooms in March and April

Two-vein

Two-veined acacia (Acacia binervata) is a shrub or tall tree that can reach 15 m. The shoots are covered with lanceolate or elliptical oblong leaves, the plates are quite wide – up to 2,5 cm. The inflorescences of the plant are creamy, collected in lush baskets of 20 pieces. An unusual feature of the species is the structure of the leaves – on the surface there is a pattern of two elongated veins.

Acacia bushes with two-veined leaves rise up to 5 m above the ground

Boxwood

Boxwood acacia (Acacia buxifolia) is a shrub of medium height. In the flowering period brings spherical buds with a rich dark yellow tint. Found in North America and Australia. During the fruiting period, pods of a straight or curved shape up to 7 cm in length ripen on the shoots.

Boxwood acacia bushes prefer to settle in wooded areas

Short spike

Short-eared acacia (Acacia brachystachya) is a dense shrub up to 5 m tall with spreading thick branches. The shoots are covered with narrow green leaves with a bluish tinge, they reach 14 cm along the length of the plate. During the decorative period, the culture brings yellow small buds, combined into cylindrical brushes up to 2 cm. The fruits of the plant are pods up to 8 cm in length.

The natural habitat of the short spike acacia variety is Australia and Africa.

Calamus-leaved

Acacia calamifolia (Acacia calamifolia) is a shrub with a spherical crown. It grows on average up to 4 m, sometimes it can reach 10 m above the ground. The leaves of the plant are small, elongated, narrowly linear or cylindrical in shape with a pointed tip. The plates are usually green with a grayish bloom. The flowers of the variety are bright yellow, collected in brushes at the ends of the branches. The beans are oblong and shriveled, reaching 14 cm.

Up to 50 buds can be present in each inflorescence of a calamus-leaved acacia.

Bristle hairy

Bristle-haired acacia (Robinia hispida) is a shrub from the legume family up to 3 m in height. It has smooth shoots of olive-brown or reddish-brown color, covered with long reddish hairs. In fact, it belongs to the genus Robinia, from the point of view of botany, it has nothing to do with acacia, although there is a certain similarity between cultures. It has rounded oblong green leaves, bluish in the lower part. The flowers bring pink or reddish, collected in loose brushes, odorless.

Bristly-haired Robinia blooms in May and June

What species are confused with acacias

Varieties of acacia in Our Country are often confused with other plants. Most often, they also belong to the legume family, but come from other genera.

In particular, acacia does not include:

• false acacia Robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia) – a large tree up to 25 m tall with an openwork spreading crown and white or cream flowers, blooming in June and July;
  
  

  The false locust locust is often called the white locust.

• tree-like caragana (Caragana arborescens) – deciduous shrub up to 7 m tall with large yellow buds that appear in early summer;
  
  

  The tree-like caragana is known as the yellow locust, often found in the Caucasus, the Urals and Siberia

• ammodendron (Ammodendron) – a tree up to 8 m above the ground, common in Asian countries, with small dark purple flowers that usually bloom in April.
  
  

  Ammodendron is also known as the sand locust.

False acacias can be distinguished primarily by their leaves – they are usually wider and bear little resemblance to thorns. Most often, real varieties have low frost resistance and therefore are rarely found in temperate climates in their natural environment. False acacias are unpretentious and easily tolerate cold, they are widely used to decorate parks and squares.

Conclusion

Varieties of acacia deserve detailed consideration. The heat-loving plant is represented by a large number of varieties that have certain similarities, but also have important differences. The main disadvantage of the culture is its thermophilicity – in a cold climate, shrubs are bred mainly in greenhouses.