Acacia confusa

Acacia confusa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Acacia
Species:	A. confusa
Binomial name
Acacia confusa Merr.
Range of Acacia confusa
Synonyms
Acacia richii auct. non A. Gray Racosperma confusum (Merr.) Pedley[1]

Acacia confusa is a perennial tree native to South-East Asia. Some common names for it are Acacia Petit Feuille, Small Philippine Acacia, Formosa Acacia (Taiwan Acacia) and Formosan Koa. It grows to a height of 15 m. The tree has become very common in many tropical Pacific areas, including Hawaii, where the species is considered invasive.^[2]

Uses

Its uses include chemical products, environmental management and food and drink. The bark may be ground into a powder and saturated into water to create a tea, or may be spread onto various foods as a spice and taste enhancer. The wood has a density of about 0.75 g/cm³.^[3] In Taiwan, its wood is used to make support beams for underground mines. The wood is also converted to charcoal for family use. The plant is used in traditional medicine^[4] and is available from herbal medicine shops (草藥店) in Taiwan, but there has been no clinical study to support its effectiveness. It is also frequently used as a durable flooring material.

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals found in Acacia confusa:

Root bark

• N-methyltryptamine, 1.43%^[5]
• N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 1.15%^[5]

Seeds

• Neurolathryogen (α-amino-β-oxalylaminopropionic acid), which can cause neurological damage, paralysis and death.^[5]

Stems

• N-methyltryptamine, 0.04%^[5]
• N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 0.01%^[5]

Varieties

• Acacia confusa var. inamurai Hayata

Gallery

• 

  Habit

• 

  Leaves and pods

• 

  Seeds

See also

• List of Acacia species

References

1. ↑ International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS)
2. ↑ Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
3. ↑ FAO Appendix 1
4. ↑ Li, Thomas S. C. Taiwanese Native Medicinal Plants: Phytopharmacology and Therapeutic Values, CRC Press (2006), ISBN 0-8493-9249-7, p.2. online GoogleBooks preview
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Lycaeum

External links

• Acacia confusa on DMT-Nexus Wiki
• Acacia confusa Merr. Medicinal Plant Images Database, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University (traditional Chinese) (English)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acacia confusa.

Wikispecies has information related to: Acacia confusa