Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Adios Acacia: Africa loses battle over generic name Acacia to Australia

Vienna decision in favor of Australia


Africa lost the Acacia battle even though the first Acacia  (Acacia Nilotica) was named in Africa before Australia was even "discovered"....!!!!!

The dispute over the generic name Acacia started in July 2005 at the International Botanic Congress (IBC) that was held in Vienna, Austria. The battle between Africa and Australia ensued  when genetic analysis revealed that African and Australian Acacias do not belong in the same genus.

Flat top Acacia thorn trees (like Acacia tortilis) that scatter the savanna plains of Africa is as  iconic as the unique wildlife of the mother (birth place of mankind) continent. Namibia alone has 26 Acacia species.

Why can the issue not be solved with a post fix eg. Acacia-africana vs Acacia-australis...? This is just the author's view...Can we get inputs from Botanist...?

            Acacia tree (with Stipagrostis uniplumis grass in foreground) in front of the Omaruru            Agriculture Office


No comments:

Post a Comment