296
and Vassal 1978; Ross 1981; Luckow 2005). In northern and Central Argentina,
Acacia is represented by 21 woody species. Most of them are trees or shrubs 2–6 m
high, although some species reach up to 20 m.
According to recent taxonomy, the circumscription of the genus Acacia is currently controversial, since it may be treated as a single genus or as comprising multiple genera. Considerations about this subject can be found in Orchard and Maslin
(2005), Smith et al. (2006), Rijckevorsel (2006) and Moore et al. (2011). Following
Vassal’s treatment (1972; Polhill et al. 1981), Acacia is considered as a single genus
with three subgenera (Acacia, Aculeiferum and Phyllodineae). The Native American
species of Acacia belong to two subgenera: Acacia and Aculeiferum. In the present
chapter, for the benefit of the users, the authors recognize this last classification
although they will use the name Acacia s. l.
Acacia caven (Mol.) Mol. (syn. Vachellia caven, Seigler and Ebinger, 2006)
belongs to the subgenus Acacia, and it is native to Argentina, Chile, Paraguay,
Uruguay, Brazil and Bolivia (Aronson 1992), where this 6 m tall tree (or shrub) is
known by the common name “espinillo” or “churqui”. In Argentina, it is widely
distributed from the central to the north-eastern regions of the country (Fig. 11.1),
reflecting its remarkable climate tolerance and ecological adaptability to a wide
range of environmental conditions. As such, this species is suitable for colonizing
sites degraded by human activities (i.e. intensive agriculture, cattle raising and fires,
among others). Due to its great plasticity, it is recommended for reforestation of
degraded ecosystems.
It has very small and perfumed yellow flowers arranged in compact spherical
inflorescences with a short peduncle between 4 and 18 mm. The fruit is a cylindrical, woody pod, dark brown, between 4 and 7 cm long (Fig. 11.2). The seeds are
greenish, hard, approximately 6 mm in diameter, and about 1000 seeds can be
counted per kilogram of fruit, for which a germination power of 85.7% has been
reported (Karlin et al. 1997).
T. Velasco Sastre
Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales, Unidad de Estudios Agropecuarios
(IFRGV, UDEA) INTA-CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
N. Zelener
Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales (CIRN), INTA. Hurlingham, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
A. Verga
Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales, Unidad de Estudios Agropecuarios
(IFRGV, UDEA) INTA-CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
INTA AER La Rioja, La Rioja, Argentina
M. Ewens
Estación Experimental Fernández-UCSE (Prov. Santiago del Estero- Universidad Católica
Santiago del Estero), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
A. N. Sérsic · A. Cosacov
Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral - Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología
Vegetal (IMBIV) UNC - CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales,
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba., Córdoba, Argentina
C. Pometti et al.
and Vassal 1978; Ross 1981; Luckow 2005). In northern and Central Argentina,
Acacia is represented by 21 woody species. Most of them are trees or shrubs 2–6 m
high, although some species reach up to 20 m.
According to recent taxonomy, the circumscription of the genus Acacia is currently controversial, since it may be treated as a single genus or as comprising multiple genera. Considerations about this subject can be found in Orchard and Maslin
(2005), Smith et al. (2006), Rijckevorsel (2006) and Moore et al. (2011). Following
Vassal’s treatment (1972; Polhill et al. 1981), Acacia is considered as a single genus
with three subgenera (Acacia, Aculeiferum and Phyllodineae). The Native American
species of Acacia belong to two subgenera: Acacia and Aculeiferum. In the present
chapter, for the benefit of the users, the authors recognize this last classification
although they will use the name Acacia s. l.
Acacia caven (Mol.) Mol. (syn. Vachellia caven, Seigler and Ebinger, 2006)
belongs to the subgenus Acacia, and it is native to Argentina, Chile, Paraguay,
Uruguay, Brazil and Bolivia (Aronson 1992), where this 6 m tall tree (or shrub) is
known by the common name “espinillo” or “churqui”. In Argentina, it is widely
distributed from the central to the north-eastern regions of the country (Fig. 11.1),
reflecting its remarkable climate tolerance and ecological adaptability to a wide
range of environmental conditions. As such, this species is suitable for colonizing
sites degraded by human activities (i.e. intensive agriculture, cattle raising and fires,
among others). Due to its great plasticity, it is recommended for reforestation of
degraded ecosystems.
It has very small and perfumed yellow flowers arranged in compact spherical
inflorescences with a short peduncle between 4 and 18 mm. The fruit is a cylindrical, woody pod, dark brown, between 4 and 7 cm long (Fig. 11.2). The seeds are
greenish, hard, approximately 6 mm in diameter, and about 1000 seeds can be
counted per kilogram of fruit, for which a germination power of 85.7% has been
reported (Karlin et al. 1997).
T. Velasco Sastre
Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales, Unidad de Estudios Agropecuarios
(IFRGV, UDEA) INTA-CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
N. Zelener
Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales (CIRN), INTA. Hurlingham, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
A. Verga
Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales, Unidad de Estudios Agropecuarios
(IFRGV, UDEA) INTA-CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
INTA AER La Rioja, La Rioja, Argentina
M. Ewens
Estación Experimental Fernández-UCSE (Prov. Santiago del Estero- Universidad Católica
Santiago del Estero), Santiago del Estero, Argentina
A. N. Sérsic · A. Cosacov
Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral - Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología
Vegetal (IMBIV) UNC - CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales,
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba., Córdoba, Argentina
C. Pometti et al.