Mimosacaea

Family characters of Mimosaceae

1. Mimosaceae acacia family Submitted by, Duedy thomas

2. Systematic Position CLASS: Dicotyledons SUBCLASS: Polypetalae SERIES: Calciflorae ORDER: Rosales FAMILY: Mimosaceae

3. Common Members Mimosa pudica (തൊട്ടാവാടി) Acacia intsia (ഇഞ്ച) Acacia senegal (gum arabic) Acacia chundra (കരിങ്ങാലി) Acacia mangium (black wattle) Adenanthera pavonina  മഞ്ചാടി) Albizzia saman (മഴമരം) Entada rheedi (കാക്കവള്ളി) (african dream herb) Xyila xylocarpa( ഇരുൾ)

4. Acacia chundra( കരിങ്ങാലി ) Acacia senegal(gum arabic)

5. Xylia xylocarpa(ഇരുൾ)

6. Albizzia saman (മഴമരം) Mimosa pudica

7. Entada rheedi(കാക്കവള്ളി) - climber

8. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES HABIT : Tress/ Shrubs/Climbers. Many of them are throny and xeromorphic. ROOT : Tap and Branched, deeply rooted in the soil. STEM : Erect, branched, slightly tapering, woody, solid.Stem tissue is often rich in tannin sacs and gum passages. LEAVES : Alternate, Petiolate, (base of the petiol is provided with pluvinous., Stipules present; usually modified into throns, Compound, pinnate(generally bipinnate). INFLORESCENCE : head/spike. (Linear or globose spike). FLOWERS : Each flower is bisexual, actinomorphic, dichlamedous ,perigynus, tetra/pentamerous, regular,cyclic, perfect and complete. Hypanthium cup is present

9. CALYX: 4/5 sepals, gamosepalous, valvate aestivation. COROLLA: 4/5 petals, free or united ( united slightly towards the base.), Valvate aestivation. ANDROECIUM: indefinite number of stamens, free or rarely united at the base. Filaments are long,slender and coloured.

10. GYNOECIUM: monocarpellary, superior ovary, unilocular, many ovules on marginal placentation, style long filiform(thread like), flat/pointed stigma.

11. FRUIT: legume/lomentum

12. phylogeny Bentham and Hooker placed family Leguminosae in the order Rosales , due to the presence of perigynus flowers and due to the absence of syncarpy. 3 subfamilies are there under Leguminosae- P apilieoideae, Caesapinoidae, Mimosoideae. Conquist considered Mimosaceae as the most primitive in the order fabales.

13. Economic Importance This sub-family is not of much economic importance. A few members are however useful . Acacia catechu serves as a host for the lac insects. From this plant Katha is also obtained . Gum arabic is obtained from the barks of A. Arabica and A. senegal. Saresh- a type of gum – is obtained from Albizzia lebbek . The flowers of A. decurrens var. dealbata yield a perfume. The bark of Acacia yields tannin which is used in leather tanning. The wood of Adenanthera pavonina is powdered and yields a red dye. Prosopis spicigera is grown as a hedge plant and also as a wind breaker in Rajasthan to check spreading desert, acts as water indicator. Durable timber is obtained from Acacia melanoxylon, Lysistoma sabicu, Xylia dolabriformis (Iron wood). Xylia xylocarpa: The wood pulp may be used for making wrapping paper. The seeds of this tree are edible. This tree is considered a medicinal plant in India. In Thailand its leaves are used to treat wounds in elephants.

14. Entada rheedi: This plant is also used as a topical ointment against jaundice, toothache, ulcers and to treat muscular-skeletal problems. A.  mangium  is widely used in commercial plantations to provide products such as pulp, firewood, charcoal, construction material; it is also used for soil protection and ecological restoration purposes and as a food source for bees  . A. chundra: The bark is  medicinal  and used to cure diarrhoea. A combination of the bark and root boiled in water helps to bring down high blood pressure. Strong timber can be used for construction and agricultural implements.  Wood  is very hard; used for agricultural implements, rice pounders and as fuelwood.

15. Thank you 😊