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What I have heard is the following. It might not be 100% correct, but it is as much as I know:

A while ago the international body which decides on scientific names decided to kill the African Acacia. In short what happened was that there was a name conflict between the Australian acacia, which we know as the wattle species, and the acacias found in Africa and Asia. It was decided that they could not share the same scientific genus name.

The international body had a meeting where basically only the one side of the debate was promoted due to technical decisions and they decided to award the name to the Australian contender. This means that all the other species will have to change their names. There will be no more Acacia karoo, Acacia tortilis, etc.

We believe that this was a wrong decision. The African acacias has the right to the name since they were the first to be described using the Acacia name. This is a basic principle in the naming process, which is being violated.

As such a petition has been started to reverse the name change and save the African Acacia.

If you agree with this and want to save the African acacia, please vote YES in this petition.

Please ask other people to support the cause!

For more information and to vote follow the link:

ACACIA PETITION

I heard this same story in June.

What's even more ironic, is none of the Aussie acacias have thorns!

I also think we have more species?

Acacia to me has always and only been the african acacia with its thorns and particular foliage. Voted

A friend who is a world renowned butterfly authority emailed me the same thing last night, so you can take it as true.

It actually comes from Braam van Wyk, academic and author of one of our best tree books. So yes, it is real.

I too have signed the petition. Thornless Acacia's? Even the American Acacias have thorns, So Australia gets the name and all of the others African, Asian and American get tossed in the rubbish? That is ridiculous! When I think of Acacia, a particular image comes to mind, and it isn't from Australia!

Voted

Let Africa, Asia and America unite!

Maybe some of our Australian friends may agree ...

Thorns rule!

Acacia is synonymous with Africa!! and I didn't even know we had American acacias

I have voted
Thanks Imberbe for bringing this to our attention

Sometimes people do the strangest things

Thanks for letting us know imberbe
Voted

Voted Imberbe
arks, I fully agree with you, what would Africa be without it's acacia?

Voted... but maybe its just very early in the morning... the wording was rather complicated.

Voted...thanks for bringing this under our attention Imberbe!!