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acacia
acacia , any plant of the large leguminous genus Acacia, often thorny shrubs and trees of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family). Chiefly of the tropics and subtropics, they are cultivated for decorative and economic purposes. Acacias are characteristic of savanna vegetation and are especially numerous in the South African bushveld. The foliage often appears feathery because of the many small leaflets, but in some species leaflike flattened stems contain chlorophyll and take the place of leaves. Various Old World species (especially A. arabica and A. senegal ) yield gum arabic; other species, chiefly A. catechu, yield the dye catechu . Blackwood ( A. melanoxylon ) is valued in Australia for its hardwood timber. Other members of the genus are valuable for lac , for perfume and essential oils, and for tannins; some are used as ornamentals. The Australian acacias are commonly called wattles—their pliable branches were woven into the structure of the early wattle houses and fences—and Wattle Day celebrates the national flower at blossoming time. Many wattles are cultivated elsewhere, particularly in California, as ornamentals for their characteristic spherical, dense flowers. The Central American bullhorn acacias (e.g., A. sphaerocephala ) have large hollow thorns inhabited by ants that are said to feed upon a sweet secretion of the plant and in turn guard it against leaf-eating insects. The most common acacia indigenous to the United States is the cat's-claw ( A. gregii ) of the arid Southwest. The biblical shittim wood is thought to have come from an acacia. Various species of locust are sometimes called acacia, and acacias may be called mimosa; all are of the same family. Acacia is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Rosales, family Leguminosae. |
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"acacia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "acacia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-acacia.html "acacia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-acacia.html |
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Acacia
Acacia ♀ From the name of the flower, which is related to the mimosa. The plant was named by botanists in the 16th century with the Latin form, acacia, of Greek akakia, which had earlier been used in translations of the Bible to refer to the tree from whose wood the Arc of the Covenant was made. This word is of uncertain origin, probably a derivative of Greek akē ‘point, thorn’, but it has also been analysed as being from the Greek negative prefix a- + kakos ‘bad’, as if the flowers had the power to ward off evil influence. The given name is fairly frequent in Australia, where the acacia (usually known there as the wattle) is a common flower and popular national symbol. It is possible that in some cases Keisha may be regarded as a shortened form of this name.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Acacia." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Acacia." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Acacia.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Acacia." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Acacia.html |
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Acacia
Acacia (family Leguminosae, subfamily Mimosoideae) A genus of plants, most of which are trees (wattles), although a few are climbers. Typically the leaves are bipinnate, with numerous tiny leaflets, or phyllodic (see PHYLLODY). Acacias are important for timber, fuel wood, tannin, gum arabic (especially A. senegal), perfumes (A. farnesiana), and ‘florists’ ‘mimosa’ (usually A. dealbata). There are about 1200 species, most of them in the seasonal tropics and subtropics.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Acacia." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Acacia." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Acacia.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Acacia." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Acacia.html |
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acacia
a·ca·cia / əˈkāshə/ (also acacia tree) • n. a tree or shrub (genus Acacia) of the pea family that bears spikes or clusters of yellow or white flowers and is frequently thorny. ∎ see false acacia. |
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"acacia." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "acacia." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-acacia.html "acacia." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-acacia.html |
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acacia
acacia (mimosa, wattle) Evergreen shrubs and trees widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. They have compound leaves and yellow or white flowers. Height: 1.2–18m (4–59ft). Family Leguminosae; genus Acacia.
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"acacia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "acacia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-acacia.html "acacia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-acacia.html |
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acacia
acacia XIV. — L. — Gr. akakíā.
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T. F. HOAD. "acacia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "acacia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-acacia.html T. F. HOAD. "acacia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-acacia.html |
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acacia
acacia
•Asher, clasher, Falasha, flasher, lasher, masher, Natasha, pasha, rasher, Sasha, slasher, smasher, thrasher
•haberdasher • gatecrasher • Marsha
•rancher
•flesher, fresher, pressure, thresher
•welsher
•adventure, bencher, censure, dementia, front-bencher, trencher, venture, wencher
•backbencher • acupressure
•acacia, Asia, Croatia, Dalmatia, ex gratia, geisha
•Lucretia, magnesia, Rhodesia, Venetia
•Fischer, fisher, fissure, justiciar, Laetitia, militia, Patricia, Phoenicia, Tricia
•clincher, flincher, lyncher, wincher
•Frobisher • furbisher • brandisher
•Yiddisher • kingfisher • establisher
•embellisher
•abolisher, demolisher, polisher
•publisher • skirmisher • replenisher
•finisher • punisher
•burnisher, furnisher
•perisher
•flourisher, nourisher
•Britisher • ravisher • languisher
•vanquisher • well-wisher
•extinguisher • Elisha
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"acacia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "acacia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-acacia.html "acacia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-acacia.html |
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