Acacia

In Australia, Acacia species are sometimes used as food plants by the larvae of hepialid moths of the genus Aenetus including A. ligniveren. These burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. Other Lepidoptera larvae which have been recorded feeding on Acacia include Brown-tail, Endoclita malabaricus and Turnip Moth. The leaf-mining larvae of some bucculatricid moths also feed on Acacia: Bucculatrix agilis feeds exclusively on Acacia horrida and Bucculatrix flexuosa feeds exclusively on Acacia nilotica.

Acacias contain a number of organic compounds that defend them from pests and grazing animals.Chemistry of Acacias from South Texas

Uses

Food uses

Acacia seeds are often used for food and a variety of other products.

In Burma, Laos and Thailand, the feathery shoots of Acacia pennata (common name cha-om, ชะอม and su pout ywet in Burmese) are used in soups, curries, omelettes, and stir-fries.

Honey made by bees using the acacia flower as forage is considered a delicacy, appreciated for its mild flowery taste, soft running texture and glass like appearance.

It is listed as an ingredient in soft drinks Fresca and Barq\'s Root Beer. Läkerol [1], the refreshment pastille originated in Sweden list as an ingredient. As do Altoids peppermints and Wrigley\'s Eclipse chewing gum.

Gum

Various species of acacia yield gum. True gum arabic is the product of Acacia senegal, abundant in dry tropical West Africa from Senegal to northern Nigeria.

Acacia arabica is the gum-Arabic tree of India, but yields a gum inferior to the true gum-Arabic.

Medicinal uses

Many Acacia species have important uses in traditional medicine. Most all of the uses have been shown to have a scientific basis, since chemical compounds found in the various species have medicinal effects. In Ayurvedic medicine, Acacia nilotica is considered a remedy that is helpful for treating premature ejaculation. A 19th century Ethiopian medical text describes a potion made from an Ethiopian species of Acacia (known as grar) mixed with the root of the tacha, then boiled, as a cure for rabies.Richard Pankhurst, An Introduction to the Medical History of Ethiopia (Trenton: Red Sea Press, 1990), p. 97 An astringent medicine, called catechu or cutch, is procured from several species, but more especially from Acacia catechu, by boiling down the wood and evaporating the solution so as to get an extract.An OCR\'d version of the US Dispensatory by Remington and Wood, 1918.

Ornamental uses

A few species are widely grown as ornamentals in gardens; the most popular perhaps is Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle), with its attractive glaucous to silvery leaves and bright yellow flowers; it is erroneously known as "mimosa" in some areas where it is cultivated, through confusion with the related genus Mimosa.

Another ornamental acacia is Acacia xanthophloea (Fever Tree). Southern European florists use Acacia baileyana, Acacia dealbata, Acacia pycnantha and Acacia retinodes as cut flowers and the common name there for them is mimosa.World Wide Wattle

Ornamental species of acacia are also used by homeowners and landscape architects for home security purposes.Acacia, an article from Home Security GuruYard Protection: Your First Line of Defense, an article from Home Security Guru The sharp thorns of some species deter unauthorized persons from entering private properties, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes. The aesthetic characteristics of acacia plants, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them a considerable alternative to artificial fences and walls.

Paints

The ancient Egyptians used Acacia in paints.Excerpt from A Consumer\'s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Fifth Edition (Paperback) Amazon.com

Perfume

Acacia farnesiana

Acacia farnesiana is used in the perfume industry due to its strong fragrance. The use of Acacia as a fragrance dates back centuries. In The Bible, burning of acacia wood as a form of incense is mentioned several times.

Symbolism and ritual

The Acacia is used as a symbol in Freemasonry, to represent purity and endurance of the soul, and as funerary symbolism signifying resurrection and immortality.

Several parts (mainly bark, root and resin) of Acacia are used to make incense for rituals. Acacia is used in incense mainly in India, Nepal, Tibet and China. Smoke from Acacia bark is thought to keep demons and ghosts away and to put the gods in a good mood. Roots and resin from Acacia are combined with rhododendron, acorus, cytisus, salvia and some other components of incense. Both people and elephants like an alcoholic beverage made from acacia fruit. According to Easton\'s Bible Dictionary, the Acacia tree may be the “burning bush” (Exodus 3:2) which Moses encountered in the desertEaston\'s Bible Dictionary: Bush

In the Quran 56:29, the acacia are mentioned as the flowers that companions in heaven will be wearing.

Tannin

A bottle of tannic acid.

The bark of various Australian species, known as wattles, is very rich in tannin and forms an important article of export; important species include Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle), Acacia decurrens (Tan Wattle), Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle) and Acacia mearnsii (Black Wattle).

*Inner bark

Black Wattle is grown in plantations in South Africa. Most Australian acacia species introduced to South Africa have become an enormous problem, due to their naturally aggressive propagation. The pods of Acacia nilotica (under the name of neb-neb), and of other African species are also rich in tannin and used by tanners.

Wood

Most acacia species are used for valuable timber; such are Acacia melanoxylon (Blackwood) from Australia, which attains a great size; its wood is used for furniture, and takes a high polish; and Acacia omalophylla (Myall Wood, also Australian), which yields a fragrant timber, used for ornamental purposes. Acacia seyal is thought to be the Shittah-tree of the Bible, which supplied shittim-wood. According to the Book of Exodus, this was used in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant. Acacia koa from the Hawaiian Islands and Acacia heterophylla from Réunion island are both excellent timber trees.

In Indonesia (mainly in Sumatra) and in Malaysia (mainly in Sarawak) plantations of Acacia mangium are being established to supply pulpwood to the paper industry.

Phytochemistry of acacias

Alkaloids

As mentioned previously, Acacias contain a number of organic compounds that defend them from pests and grazing animals.Chemistry of Acacia\'s from South Texas Many of these compounds are psychoactive in humans. The alkaloids found in Acacias include Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5 MethoxyDimethyltryptamine (5 MeO-DMT) and N-methyltryptamine (NMT). The plant leaves, stems and/or roots are sometimes made into a brew together with some MAOI-containing plant and consumed orally for healing, ceremonial or religious uses. Egyptian mythology has associated the acacia tree with characteristics of the tree of life (cf. article on the Legend of Osiris and Isis).

Acacias Known to Contain Psychoactive Alkaloids

Acacia acuminata	Up to 1.5% alkaloids, mainly consisting of tryptamine in leafLycaeum
Acacia adunca	β-methyl-phenethylamine, 2.4% in leaves
Acacia alpina	Active principles in leafShaman Australis
Acacia aneura	Psychoactive.Index of Rätsch, Christian. Enzyklopädie der psychoaktiven Pflanzen, Botanik, Ethnopharmakologie und Anwendungen, 7. Auflage. AT Verlag, 2004, 941 Seiten. ISBN 3855025703 at [2]Book Index from Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann Pflanzen der Götter at DeutschesFachbuch.de Ash used in Pituri.Duboisia hopwoodii - Pituri Bush - Solanaceae - Central America Ether extracts about 2-6% of the dried leaf mass.Wattle Seed Workshop Proceedings 12 March 2002, Canberra March 2003 RIRDC Publication No 03/024, RIRDC Project No WS012-06
Acacia angustifolia	Psychoactive, Tryptamines
Acacia angustissima	β-methyl-phenethylamineGlasby, John Stephen (1991). Dictionary of Plants Containing Secondary Metabolites. CRC Press, 2. ISBN 0850664233. , NMT and DMT in leaf (1.1-10.2 ppm)English Title: Nutritive value assessment of the tropical shrub legume Acacia angustissima: anti-nutritional compounds and in vitro digestibility. Personal Authors: McSweeney, C. S., Krause, D. O., Palmer, B., Gough, J., Conlan, L. L., Hegarty, M. P. Author Affiliation: CSIRO Livestock Industries, Long Pocket Laboratories, 120 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Australia. Document Title: Animal Feed Science and Technology, 2005 (Vol. 121) (No. 1/2) 175-190
Acacia aroma	Tryptamine alkaloids.Maya Ethnobotanicals Significant amount of tryptamine in the seeds.Acacia (Polish)
Acacia auriculiformis	5-MeO-DMT in stem barkLycaeum
Acacia baileyana	0.02% tryptamine and β-carbolines, in the leaf, Tetrahydroharman.www.serendipity.com
Acacia beauverdiana	Psychoactivewww.bushfood.net Ash used in Pituri.
Acacia berlandieri	DMT, amphetamines, mescaline, nicotineAsk Dr. Shulgin Online: Acacias and Natural Amphetamine
Acacia catechu	DMTSacred Elixirs and other tryptamines in leaf, bark
Acacia caven	Psychoactive
Acacia chundra	DMT and other tryptamines in leaf, bark
Acacia colei	DMTwww.abc.net.au
Acacia complanata	0.3% alkaloids in leaf and stem, almost all N-methyl-tetrahydroharman, with traces of tetrahydroharman, some of tryptamineAcacia Complanata Phytochemical StudiesLycaeum -- Acacias and EntheogensLycaeum
Acacia concinna	NicotineSBEPL
Acacia confusa	DMT & NMT in leaf, stem & bark 0.04% NMT and 0.02% DMT in stem.. Also N,N-dimethyltryptamine N-oxideNMR spectral assignments of a new chlorotryptamine alkaloid and its analogues from Acacia confusa Malcolm S. Buchanan, Anthony R. Carroll, David Pass, Ronald J. Quinn Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry Volume 45, Issue 4 , Pages359 - 361. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acacia constricta	β-methyl-phenethylamine
Acacia coriacea	Psychoactive. Ash used in Pituri.
Acacia cornigera	Psychoactive, TryptaminesNaturheilpraxis Fachforum (German)
Acacia cultriformis	Tryptamine, in the leaf, stem and seeds. Phenethylamine in leaf and seeds
Acacia cuthbertsonii	Psychoactive
Acacia decurrens	Psychoactive, but less than 0.02% alkaloidsChemotaxonomie der Pflanzen By Robert Hegnauer
Acacia delibrata	Psychoactive
Acacia falcata	Psychoactive, but less than 0.02% alkaloids
Acacia farnesiana	Traces of 5-MeO-DMTLycaeum in fruit. β-methyl-phenethylamine, flower.Dr. Duke\'s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases Ether extracts about 2-6% of the dried leaf mass.Wattle Seed Workshop Proceedings 12 March 2002, Canberra March 2003 RIRDC Publication No 03/024, RIRDC Project No WS012-06 Alkaloids are present in the barkwww.bpi.da.gov.ph and leaves.Purdue University Amphetamines and mescaline also found in tree.
Acacia filiciana	Psychoactive
Acacia floribunda	Tryptamine, phenethylamine,Hegnauer, Robert (1994). Chemotaxonomie der Pflanzen. Springer, 500. ISBN 3764329793.  in flowers other tryptamines,www.bluelight.ru phenethylaminesLycaeum (Acacia floribunda)
Acacia georginae	Psychoactive, plus deadly toxins
Acacia greggii	N-methyl-β-phenethylamine,. phenethylamine
Acacia harpophylla	Phenethylamine, hordenine at a ratio of 2:3 in dried leaves, 0.6% total
Acacia holoserica	Hordenine, 1.2% in bark
Acacia horrida	Psychoactive
Acacia implexa	Psychoactivewiki.magiskamolekyler.org (Swedish)
Acacia jurema	DMT, NMT
Acacia karroo	Psychoactive
Acacia kempeana	Psychoactive
Acacia kettlewelliae	1.5Fitzgerald, J.S. Alkaloids of the Australian Legumuminosae -- The Occurence of Phenylethylame Derivatives in Acacia Species, Aust. J . Chem., 1964, 17, 160-2.-1.88%Acacia kettlewelliae alkaloids, 92% consisting of phenylethylamine. 0.9% N-methyl-2- phenylethylamine found a different time.
Acacia laeta	DMT, in the leaf
Acacia lingulata	Psychoactive
Acacia longifolia	0.2% tryptamine in bark, leaves, some in flowers, phenylethylamine in flowers, 0.2% DMT in plant.Lycaeum Acacia longifolia Histamine alkaloids.
Acacia longifolia var. sophorae	Tryptamine in leaves, bark
Acacia macradenia	Tryptamine
Acacia maidenii	0.6% NMT and DMT in about a 2:3 ratio in the stem bark, both present in leaves
Acacia mangium	Psychoactive
Acacia melanoxylon	DMT, in the bark and leaf,extentech.sheetster.com but less than 0.02% total alkaloids
Acacia mellifera	DMT, in the leaf
Acacia nilotica	DMT, in the leaf
Acacia nilotica subsp. adstringens	Psychoactive, DMT in the leaf
Acacia obtusifolia	Tryptamine, DMT, NMT, other tryptamines,wiki.magiskamolekyler.org (Swedish) 0.4-0.5% in dried bark, 0.07% in branch tips.Acacia obtusifolia Phytochemical Studies
Acacia oerfota	Less than 0.1% DMT in leaf,Plants Containing DMT (German) NMT
Acacia penninervis	Psychoactive
Acacia phlebophylla	0.3% DMT in leaf, NMT
Acacia platensis	Psychoactive
Acacia podalyriaefolia	Tryptamine in the leaf, 0.5% to 2% DMT in fresh bark, phenethylamine, trace amounts
Acacia polyacantha	DMT in leaf and other tryptamines in leaf, bark
Acacia polyacantha ssp. campylacantha	Less than 0.2% DMT in leaf, NMT; DMT and other tryptamines in leaf, barkHortipedia
Acacia prominens	phenylethylamine, β-methyl-phenethylamine
Acacia pruinocarpa	Psychoactive Ash used in Pituri.
Acacia pycnantha	Psychoactive, but less than 0.02% total alkaloids
Acacia retinodes	DMT, NMT,Pflanzentabelle APB (German) nicotine, but less than 0.02% total alkaloids found
Acacia rigidula	DMT, NMT, tryptamine, amphetamines, mescaline, nicotine and othersMagiska Molekylers wiki
Acacia roemeriana	β-methyl-phenethylamine
Acacia salicina	Psychoactive. Ash used in Pituri.
Acacia sassa	Psychoactive.
Acacia schaffneri	β-methyl-phenethylamine, Phenethylamine Amphetamines and mescaline also found.
Acacia schottii	β-methyl-phenethylamine
Acacia senegal	Less than 0.1% DMT in leaf, NMT, other tryptamines. DMT in plant, DMT in bark.
Acacia seyal	DMT, in the leaf. Ether extracts about 1-7% of the dried leaf mass.Wattle Seed Workshop Proceedings 12 March 2002, Canberra March 2003 RIRDC Publication No 03/024, RIRDC Project No WS012-06
Acacia sieberiana	DMT, in the leaf
Acacia simplex	DMT and NMT, in the leaf, stem and trunk bark, 0.81% DMT in bark, MMTArbeitsstelle für praktische Biologie (APB)
Acacia taxensis	β-methyl-phenethylamine
Acacia tenuifolia	Psychoactive
Acacia tenuifolia var. producta	Psychoactive
Acacia tortilis	DMT, NMT, and other tryptamines
Acacia verek	Psychoactive. Less than 0.1% DMT in leaf, NMT, other tryptamines
Acacia vestita	Tryptamine, in the leaf and stem, but less than 0.02% total alkaloids
Acacia victoriae	Tryptamines, 5-MeO-alkyltryptamine
Acacia visco	Psychoactive

List of acacia species having little or no alkaloids in the material sampled:

0% $\backslash le$ C $\backslash le$ 0.02%, C...Concentration of Alkaloids [%]

• Acacia acinacea
• Acacia baileyana
• Acacia decurrens
• Acacia dealbata
• Acacia mearnsii
• Acacia drummondii
• Acacia elata
• Acacia falcata
• Acacia leprosa
• Acacia linearis
• Acacia melanoxylon
• Acacia pycnantha
• Acacia retinodes
• Acacia saligna
• Acacia stricta
• Acacia verticillata
• Acacia vestita

Cyanogenic glycosides

Nineteen different species of Acacia in the Americas contain cyanogenic glycosides, which, if exposed to an enzyme which specifically splits glycosides, can release hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the acacia "leaves."Cyanogenic Glycosides in Ant-Acacias of Mexico and Central America David S. Seigler, John E. Ebinger The Southwestern Naturalist, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec. 9, 1987), pp. 499-503 doi:10.2307/3671484 This sometimes results in the poisoning death of livestock.

If fresh plant material spontaneously produces 200 ppm or more HCN, then it is potentially toxic. This corresponds to about 7.5 μmol HCN per gram of fresh plant material. It turns out that, if acacia "leaves" lack the specific glycoside-splitting enzyme, then they may be less toxic than otherwise, even those containing significant quantities of cyanic glycosides.

Some Acacia species containing cyanogens:

• Acacia erioloba
• Acacia cunninghamii
• Acacia obtusifolia
• Acacia sieberiana
• Acacia sieberiana var. woodiiFAO Kamal M. Ibrahim, The current state of knowledge on Prosopis juliflora...

Species

There are over 1,300 species of Acacia. See List of Acacia species for a more complete listing.

Famous acacia

Perhaps the most famous acacia is the Arbre du Ténéré in Niger. The reason for the tree\'s fame is that it used to be the most isolated tree in the world, approximately 400 km from any other tree. The tree was knocked down by a truck driver in 1973.

Identification gallery

Flowers

Bark

Foliage

Seed pods

Seeds

Thorns

Tree

Wood

See also

• List of Acacia species
• Plant defense against herbivory
• Psychedelic plants

Notes

General references

• Clement, B.A., Goff, C.M., Forbes, T.D.A. Toxic Amines and Alkaloids from Acacia rigidula, Phytochem. 1998, 49(5), 1377.
• Shulgin, Alexander and Ann, TiHKAL the Continuation. Transform Press, 1997. ISBN 0-9630096-9-9

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Acacia

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Acacia

• World Wide Wattle
• Acacia-world
• Wayne\'s Word on "The Unforgettable Acacias"
• The genus Acacia and Entheogenic Tryptamines, with reference to Australian and related species, by mulga
• A description of Acacia from Pomet\'s 1709 reference book, History of Druggs
• www.serendipity.com
• Dr. Duke\'s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
• Flora identification tools from the State Herbarium of South Australia
• Tannins in Some Interrelated Wattles
• List of Acacia Species in the U.S.
• FAO Timber Properties of Various Acacia Species
• FAO Comparison of Various Acacia Species as Forage
• Long-term effects of roller chopping on antiherbivore defenses in three shrub species, Jason R. Schindlera, Timothy E. Fulbright
• Vet. Path. ResultsAFIP Wednesday Slide Conference - No. 21 February 24, 1999
• Acacia cyanophylla lindl as supplementary feed/for small stock in Libya
• Description of Acacia Morphology
• Nitrogen Fixaton in Acacias