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Acacia heterophylla (Lam.) Willd., Sp. Pl., ed. 4 [Willdenow] 4(2): 1054 (1806)
Name Status. Accepted Name
Infra-generic Classification. Section Plurinerves
Notes. Acacia heterophylla and A. koa (from the Hawaiian islands in the Pacific Ocean) are morphologically very similar (e.g. Vassal, 1969), despite being separated by a distance of c. 18 000 km. While various authors have treated these two as separate species (e.g. Pedley 1975, Brown et al. 2012) others have considered them better regarded as a single species (e.g. Bentham 1875, Le Roux et al. 2014). These two island endemic, polyploid species are closely related to the Australian endemic, diploid species A. melanoxylon R.Br. (e.g. Brown et al. 2012). Le Roux et al. (2014) demonstrated that A. heterophylla and A. koa did not arise as a result of two independent long distance dispersal events from Australia, as suggested by Brown et al. (2012). Instead, Le Roux et al. (2014) present genetic evidence that A. heterophylla appears to have reached colonised the Mascarene archipelago from an extreme, long-distance dispersal event from Hawaii, c. <1.4m years ago. Despite the genetic evidence to the contrary that is presented by Le Roux et al. (2014), A. heterophylla and A. koa are here treated as separate species until such time as the morphological evidence is reviewed. It should be noted that while A. heterophylla is the earlier name, A. koa is the better-known and economically more important species; therefore, in the event of the two species being formally combined, it would be desirable that a formal proposal be made to conserve A. koa.
SYNONYMY
Mimosa heterophylla Lam. (1783) [Basionym]
Racosperma heterophyllum (Lam.) Mart. (1829) [Nom. invalid.]Acacia heterophylla (Lam.) Willd. var. heterophylla (1842) [Autonym]Racosperma heterophyllym (Lam.) Pedley (2003) [Homotypic synonym]
Acacia brevipes A.Cunn. (1834) [Heterotypic synonym]Acacia implexa var. brevipes (A.Cunn.) Domin (1926) [Homotypic synonym]
Acacia xiphoclada Baker (1887) [Heterotypic synonym]Racosperma xiphocladum (Baker) Pedley (1986) [Homotypic synonym]
DISTRIBUTION
[Source. Du Puy & Villiers (2002: 232) ]
INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar [I], Mauritius [N], Reunion Island [N]
Abbreviations: [I - Introduced, N - Native].
TYPE INFORMATION
Type. Based on Mimosa heterophylla Lam.
