Acacia confusa

Acacia confusa
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
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[2]

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 15m. The tree has become very common in many tropical Pacific areas, including Hawaii, where the species is considered invasive.^[3]

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.^[4] 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^[5] 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.

Acacia confusa habit

Acacia confusa leaves and pods

Acacia confusa seeds

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals found in Acacia confusa:

Root bark

• N-Methyltryptamine, 1.43%^[6]
• N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, 1.15%^[6]

Seeds

• Oxalyldiaminopropionic acid (α-amino-β-oxalylaminopropionic acid),^[7] which can cause neurological damage, paralysis, and death.

Stems

• N-Methyltryptamine, 0.04%^[6]

Varieties

• Acacia confusa var. inamurai Hayata

See also

• List of Acacia species

References

1. ↑ World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). "Acacia richii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 3 May 2014. 
2. ↑ International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS)
3. ↑ Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
4. ↑ FAO Appendix 1
5. ↑ 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
6. 1 2 3 Arthur, HR; Loo, SN; Lamberton, JA (1967). "Nb-Methylated tryptamines and other constituents of Acacia confusa Merr. Of Hong Kong". Australian Journal of Chemistry. 20 (4): 811. doi:10.1071/CH9670811. 
7. ↑ Quereshi, M.Yasin; Pilbeam, David J.; Evans, Christine S.; Bell, E.Arthur (1977). "The neurolathyrogen, α-amino-β-oxalylaminopropionic acid in legume seeds". Phytochemistry. 16 (4): 477. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94332-2. 

External links

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

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