Acacia / Acácia

This genus of the Legume family, subfamily Mimosoideae, is represented in Madeira by many species, some with compound leaves, others with reduced leaflets (leaf stalks with the shape of leaves). Belonging to the first group are Acacia dealbata (silver wattle), very common in Monte, Choupana, etc.; A. Farnesiana (yellow acacia), cultivated in gardens and semi-spontaneous in various coastal areas; A. Leucocephala (white leadtree), a semi-spontaneous shrub in Gorgulho and Praia Formosa; and A. (Albizzia) tophantha, a species almost always shrubby, naturalized mainly in Monte. Belonging to the second group are A. Melanoxylon, cultivated in estates, squares, and some streets; and A. retinoides, A. Sophorae, and A. longifolia, common in the estates and gardens of Madeira. Acacias are native to Australia and the hot regions of America, Asia, and Africa, and many other species can be found on the island, in addition to those mentioned. The Robinia pseudo Acacia, erroneously known in Madeira by the name of acacia, is a thorny tree belonging to the subfamily Papilionoideae, native to North America, easily recognizable by its imparipinnate leaves and its white aromatic flowers, clustered in racemes.