金合欢族 jin he huan zu

Authors: Delin Wu & Ivan C. Nielsen

Trees, shrubs, or lianas, armed or unarmed. Stipules spinescent or not. Leaves bipinnate or modified to phyllodes by dilation of petiole and proximal part of rachis; extrafloral nectaries usually present on petiole and rachis or absent; leaflets opposite (in China), sessile or shortly stalked. Inflorescences consisting of pedunculate heads or spikes borne in axillary clusters or aggregated into terminal panicles. Flowers bisexual, or male and bisexual, tetra- or pentamerous, uniform. Sepals connate, valvate. Petals valvate, rarely absent. Stamens numerous, exserted; filaments free or connate at base; anthers glandular or not. Ovary sessile or stipitate; ovules many or 2 rows; style filiform; stigma capitate, small. Legume extremely variable, dehiscent or indehiscent; endocarp not separated from exocarp, not forming envelope around each seed. Seeds usually elliptic to oblong, ± flattened, with a hard black-brown testa with pleurogram, wingless; aril usually absent, but present in some phyllodic species.

One genus recognized here and ca. 1,450 species: distributed in the tropics and subtropics, especially Africa and Australia; 18 species (three endemic, seven introduced) in China.

Lower Taxon

• Acacia Miller