General Information

COMMON NAMES: Cassie, Mimosa Bush, Popinac, Scented Wattle, Sweet Acacia, Sweet Wattle, Huisache, Ellington Curse; German Akazien GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical America COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (pre-1900), Naturalised; S.Group only (RR and AK - occasional); Land, lowlands SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Elsewhere; Weed - serious, Injurous spines - moderate KEY FEATURES: A Leucaena-like tree to 6m, with thorns to 3cm. LEAVES bipinnate (never with phyllodes), PINNA 2-5 pairs (each to 4cm) with LEAFLETS 10-25 pairs to 6x2mm. FLOWERS globose head, yellow, fragrant. FRUIT round pod, curved, 7x1cm, ripens dark brown to black.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	-	-	-	-	++	-		-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Acacia farnesiana Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Mimosa farnesiana; Vacellia farnesiana

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); MIMOSACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Elsewhere. Comments: Flowers used to make a perfume in Southern France.
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - serious, Injurous spines - moderate. Comments: A very localised large shrub that requried heavy machinery to control. Mainly in waste or long-fallow areas, rather than in regularly cultivated fields.

GENERAL NOTE: Cheeseman (1900) noted it as common on the northeast lowlands of Rarotonga. It was introduced for its flower into Fiji before 1860 [Flora Vitiensis Nova].

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.641 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.405 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.6 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.3/069 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.278 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.54 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.405a Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03b, zD02

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