Editing Acacia sensu lato (section)

==Uses==

===Use as human food===
[[Image:Acacia dealbata seeds.jpg|thumb|''[[Acacia dealbata]]'' seeds]]

[[Acacia seed]]s are often used for food and a variety of other products.

In [[Myanmar]], [[Laos]], and [[Thailand]], the feathery shoots of ''[[Acacia pennata]]'' (common name ''cha-om'', ชะอม and ''su pout ywet'' in Burmese) are used in [[soups]], [[curries]], [[omelettes]], and [[stir-fries]].

===Gum===
Various species of acacia yield gum. True [[gum arabic]] is the product of ''[[Acacia senegal]]'', abundant in dry tropical West Africa from [[Senegal]] to northern [[Nigeria]].

''[[Acacia nilotica]]'' (syn. ''Acacia arabica'') is the gum arabic tree of [[India]], but yields a gum inferior to the true gum arabic. Gum arabic is used in a wide variety of food products, including some soft drinks<ref name=test>{{cite web |url=https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=1&productId=480288 |title=Powerade Ion4 Sports Drink, B Vitamin Enhanced, Strawberry Lemonade |publisher=Wegmans |access-date=2013-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215194222/https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=1&productId=480288 |archive-date=2012-02-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and confections.

The ancient Egyptians used acacia gum in paints.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.ca/dp/product-description/0609803670 |title=Excerpt from A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Fifth Edition (Paperback) Amazon.com |publisher=Amazon.ca |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref>
[[File:Acaciasap.jpg|thumb|Sap, from which gum can be made, oozing from an ''Acacia'' tree in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]]]
The gum of ''[[Acacia xanthophloea]]'' and ''[[Acacia karroo]]'' has a high sugar content and is sought out by the [[lesser bushbaby]]. ''Acacia karroo'' gum was once used for making confectionery and traded under the name "Cape Gum". It was also used medicinally to treat cattle suffering poisoning by ''[[Moraea]]'' species.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciakar.htm | title=Vachellia karroo {{pipe}} PlantZAfrica.com | access-date=2015-05-20 | archive-date=2015-09-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074115/http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/acaciakar.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Uses in folk medicine===
''Acacia'' species have possible uses in [[folk medicine]]. A 19th-century Ethiopian medical text describes a potion made from an Ethiopian species (known as ''grar'') mixed with the root of the ''tacha'', then boiled, as a cure for [[rabies]].<ref>Richard Pankhurst, ''An Introduction to the Medical History of Ethiopia'' (Trenton: Red Sea Press, 1990), p. 97</ref>

An [[astringent]] medicine high in [[tannin]]s, called [[catechu]] or cutch, is procured from several species, but more especially from ''[[Senegalia catechu]]'' (syn. ''Acacia catechu''), by boiling down the wood and evaporating the solution so as to get an extract.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/usdisp/uncaria-gamb.html |title=An OCR'd version of the US Dispensatory by Remington and Wood, 1918 |publisher=Henriettesherbal.com |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/V8879E/v8879e05.htm |title=Cutch and catechu plant origin from the Food and Agriculture (FAO) department of the United Nations. Document repository accessed November 5, 2011 |access-date=November 5, 2011 |archive-date=February 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210133448/http://www.fao.org/docrep/V8879e/V8879e05.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The catechu extract from ''A. catechu'' figures in the history of chemistry in giving its name to the [[catechin]], [[catechol]], and [[catecholamine]] chemical families ultimately derived from it.

===Ornamental uses===
A few species are widely grown as ornamentals in gardens; the most popular perhaps is ''A. dealbata'' (silver wattle), with its attractive glaucous to silvery leaves and bright yellow flowers; it is erroneously known as "mimosa" in some areas where it is cultivated, through confusion with the related genus ''Mimosa''.

Another ornamental acacia is the [[Acacia xanthophloea|fever tree]]. Southern European florists use ''A. baileyana'', ''A. dealbata'', ''A. pycnantha'' and ''A. retinodes'' as cut flowers and the common name there for them is mimosa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwidewattle.com/schools/uses.php |title=World Wide Wattle |publisher=World Wide Wattle |date=2009-09-07 |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref>

Ornamental species of acacias are also used by homeowners and [[landscape architect]]s for home security. The sharp thorns of some species are a deterrent to trespassing, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes. The aesthetic characteristics of acacia plants, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them a reasonable alternative to constructed fences and walls.

===Perfume===
[[File:Acaciafarnesiana1web.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Acacia farnesiana]]'']]
''[[Acacia farnesiana]]'' is used in the [[perfume]] industry due to its strong fragrance. The use of acacia as a fragrance dates back centuries.

===Symbolism and ritual===
[[File:Philae Temple Egypt Goddess Isis As Angel Mural Artwork 2004-10-11.jpg|thumb|upright|Egyptian goddess [[Isis]]]]

[[Egyptian mythology]] has associated the acacia tree with characteristics of the [[tree of life]], such as in the [[Myth of Osiris and Isis]].

Several parts (mainly bark, root, and resin) of ''Acacia'' species are used to make [[incense]] for rituals. Acacia is used in incense mainly in India, Nepal, and China including in its Tibet region. Smoke from acacia bark is thought to keep [[demon]]s and [[ghost]]s away and to put the gods in a good mood. Roots and resin from acacia are combined with [[rhododendron]], [[acorus]], [[cytisus]], [[salvia]], and some other components of incense. Both people and elephants like an alcoholic beverage made from acacia fruit.<ref name="fachforum">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100105094521/http://www.naturheilpraxis.de/exclusiv/nh-online/2005/nhp05/a_nh-ff02.html Naturheilpraxis Fachforum (German)]</ref>
According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the acacia tree may be the "burning bush" ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 3:2) which [[Moses]] encountered in the desert.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eastonsbibledictionary.com/b/bush.htm |title=Easton's Bible Dictionary: Bush |publisher=Eastonsbibledictionary.com |access-date=2013-03-06}}</ref> Also, when God gave Moses the instructions for building the [[Tabernacle]], he said to "make an ark" and "a table of acacia wood" (Exodus 25:10 & 23, [[Revised Standard Version]]). Also, in the Christian tradition, Christ's crown of thorns is thought to have been woven from acacia.<ref>Dictionary of Symbols.Chevalier and Gheerbrant. Penguin Reference.1996.</ref>

Acacia was used for [[Zulu people|Zulu]] warriors' iziQu (or isiKu) beads, which passed on through [[Robert Baden-Powell]] to the Scout movement's [[Wood Badge]] training award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.scouts.org.uk/factsheets/FS145001.pdf|title=The Origins of the Wood Badge|website=The Scout Association|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-date=6 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006110557/https://members.scouts.org.uk/factsheets/FS145001.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In [[Russia]], [[Italy]], and other countries, it is customary to present women with yellow mimosas (among other flowers) on [[International Women's Day]] (March 8). These "mimosas" may be from ''A. dealbata'' (silver wattle).

In 1918, [[May Gibbs]], the popular Australian children's author, wrote the book 'Wattle Babies', in which a third-person narrator describes the lives of imaginary inhabitants of the Australian forests (the 'bush'). The main characters are the Wattle Babies, who are tiny people that look like acacia flowers and who interact with various forest creatures. Gibbs wrote "Wattle Babies are the sunshine of the Bush. In Winter, when the sky is grey and all the world seems cold, they put on their yellowest clothes and come out, for they have such cheerful hearts."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?embedded=true&toolbar=false&dps_pid=IE3751321|title= May Gibbs' 'Wattle Babies'|publisher= Mitchell Library, [[State Library of New South Wales]]|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref>  Gibbs was referring to the fact that an abundance of acacias flower in August in Australia, in the midst of the southern hemisphere winter.<ref>{{cite book|last=Costermans|first=Leon F.|title=Native Trees and Shrubs of South-Eastern Australia: Includes Addendum of Change and New Species|year= 1981|location= Adelaide, South Australia|publisher= Rigby|isbn= 0727017993}}</ref>

===Tannin===
The bark of various Australian species, known as wattles, is very rich in [[tannin]] and forms an important article of export; important species include ''[[Acacia pycnantha|A. pycnantha]]'' (golden wattle), ''[[Acacia decurrens|A. decurrens]]'' (tan wattle), ''A. dealbata'' (silver wattle) and ''A. mearnsii'' (black wattle).

Black wattle is grown in plantations in [[South Africa]] and [[South America]]. The pods of ''A. nilotica'' (under the name of ''neb-neb''), and of other African species, are also rich in tannin and used by [[Tanning (leather)|tanners]]. In [[Yemen]], the principal tannin substance was derived from the leaves of the salam-tree (''Acacia etbaica''), a tree known locally by the name ''qaraẓ'' (''garadh'').<ref>''R. Moses b. Maimon RESPONSA'' (ed. Jehoshua Blau), vol. 2, ''responsum'' # 253, Rubin Mass Ltd.: Jerusalem 1989, p. 298 (s.v. Judeo-Arabic original, אלקרץ).</ref><ref>James P. Mandaville, ''Bedouin Ethnobotany – Plant Concepts and Uses in a Desert Pastoral World'', University of Arizona Press 2011, [https://books.google.com/books?id=rRZm5-e486wC&dq=acacia+etbaica+schweinf&pg=PA140 p. 140] ({{ISBN|978-0-8165-2900-1}})</ref> A bath solution of the crushed leaves of this tree, into which raw leather had been inserted for prolonged soaking, would take only 15 days for curing. The water and leaves, however, required changing after seven or eight days, and the leather needed to be turned over daily.

===Wood===
[[File:Starr 030405-0092 Acacia koa.jpg|thumb|''[[Acacia koa]]'' wood]]
Some ''Acacia'' species are valuable as timber, such as ''A. melanoxylon'' (blackwood) from [[Australia]], which attains a great size; its wood is used for furniture, and takes a high polish; and ''A. omalophylla'' (myall wood, also Australian), which yields a fragrant timber used for ornaments. ''[[Acacia seyal|A. seyal]]'' is thought to be the [[shittah-tree]] of the [[Bible]], which supplied shittim-wood. According to the Book of Exodus, this was used in the construction of the [[Ark of the Covenant]]. ''[[Acacia koa|A. koa]]'' from the [[Hawaiian Islands]] and ''[[Acacia heterophylla|A. heterophylla]]'' from [[Réunion]] are both excellent timber trees. Depending on abundance and regional culture, some ''Acacia'' species (e.g. ''A. fumosa'') are traditionally used locally as firewoods.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maugh, T.H. II |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-tree25-2009apr25,0,402549.story |title=New species of tree identified in Ethiopia |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2009-04-24 |access-date=2008-04-24}}</ref> It is also used to make homes for different animals.

[[File:Acacia-heterophylla-wood-xup.jpg|thumb|''A. heterophylla'' wood]]

===Pulpwood===
In [[Indonesia]] (mainly in [[Sumatra]]) and in [[Malaysia]] (mainly in [[Sabah]]), plantations of ''[[Acacia mangium|A. mangium]]'' are being established to supply [[pulpwood]] to the paper industry.

Acacia wood pulp gives high opacity and below average bulk [[paper]]. This is suitable in [[Woodfree uncoated paper|lightweight offset papers]] used for Bibles and dictionaries. It is also used in paper tissue where it improves softness.

===Land reclamation===
Acacias can be planted for erosion control, especially after mining or construction damage.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barr, D. A. |author2=Atkinson, W. J.|year=1970 |title=Stabilization of coastal sands after mining|journal=J. Soil Conserv. Serv. N.S.W. |volume=26 |pages=89–105 }}</ref>