Difference between revisions of "Thrips and Australian Acacia species"

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In Australia, the plant genus ''Acacia'' includes about 1000 species of shrubs and trees <http://www.worldwidewattle.com/>.  
 
In Australia, the plant genus ''Acacia'' includes about 1000 species of shrubs and trees <http://www.worldwidewattle.com/>.  
 +
 
In most of these, the leaf-like foliage of mature plants is actually modified leaf petioles, termed phyllodes, and the normal bipinnate leaves are progressively lost.
 
In most of these, the leaf-like foliage of mature plants is actually modified leaf petioles, termed phyllodes, and the normal bipinnate leaves are progressively lost.
 
[[File:Acacia melanoxylon developing phyllodes.jpg|thumbnail|center|Acacia melanoxylon young plant with phyllodes replacing bipinnate leaves]]
 
[[File:Acacia melanoxylon developing phyllodes.jpg|thumbnail|center|Acacia melanoxylon young plant with phyllodes replacing bipinnate leaves]]

Revision as of 22:30, 30 January 2014

Laurence Mound, CSIRO Ecosystems Sciences, Canberra

Introduction

In Australia, the plant genus Acacia includes about 1000 species of shrubs and trees <http://www.worldwidewattle.com/>.

In most of these, the leaf-like foliage of mature plants is actually modified leaf petioles, termed phyllodes, and the normal bipinnate leaves are progressively lost.

File:Acacia melanoxylon developing phyllodes.jpg
Acacia melanoxylon young plant with phyllodes replacing bipinnate leaves


Among phyllodinous Acacia species, bi-pinnate foliage occurs only on very young plants. These phyllode-bearing species are classified into three major Sections of the genus Acacia: Phyllodineae with almost 400 species, Juliflorae with about 255 species, and Plurinerves with about 215 species (Maslin, 2001).