Acacia sensu lato in East and Southeast Asia

Recent research shows that the formerly broadly circumscribed, genus Acacia is polyphyletic and should be treated as comprising at least 5 genera, namely, Acacia sensu stricto, Acaciella, Mariosousa, Senegalia and Vachellia.

The indigenous Acacia sensu lato in East and Southeast Asia comprise 52 species:

32 species of Senegalia, 12 species of Acacia sensu stricto and 8 species of Vachellia.   

Of all, only 8 species are endemic to Malaysia :  

Senegalia borneensis, 

S. donnaiensis, 

S. megaladena var. indochinensis, 

S. pennata subsp. kerrii, 

S. pluricapitata, 

S. pseudointsia, 

S. rugata, and 

Vachellia leucophloea.

 

Classification schemes for Acacia sensu lato showing species numbers and major areas of occurrence. 

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbg/research/publications/gardens-bulletin-singapore/-/media/sbg/gardens-bulletin/gbs_67_01_y2015_v67_01/4-4-67-1-231-y2015-v67p1-gbs-pg231.pdf

  

Simplified, computer-generated cladogram of Acacia sensu lato showing five major monophyletic lineages in red.   https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/CaFlora1.htm