Vachellia hindsii (Benth.) Seigler & Ebinger

Acacia hindsii Bentham

Acacia hindsii Bentham, 1842:504.

Acacia bursaria Schenck, 1913:363.

Acacia tepicana Safford, 1914:366.

Acacia sinaloensis Safford, 1914:365.

Myrmecodendron hindsii (Bentham) Britton and Rose, 1928: 91.

A mature Acacia hindsii is distinguished from all other swollen-thorn acacias by its very flat and distended thorns. On occasion the thorns of A. collinsii display superficially similar distension, but A. hindsii has small diameter petiolar nectaries rather than broad dome-shaped ones as on A. collinsii. A. hindsii, A. collinsii, and A. cornigera are the three most widely distributed swollen-thorn acacias. A. hindsii, however, is essentially a plant on the Pacific lowlands and foothills (Figure 105).

I was unable to examine the type specimen of A. hindsii, but A. hindsii is the only species of swollen-thorn acacia in the Manzanillo Bay area (site 1), and the type description agrees closely with the swollen-thorn acacia population in that area. The northernmost record of A. collinsii (A. collinsii site 7) is from slightly to the south of site 1, but at this site it has cylindrical thorns and is not sympatric with A. hindsii. A. hindsii is not to be confused with its hybrids with nonant-acacias such as A. pennatula, e.g., A. oaxacanum, A. hirtipes, and A.


standleyi. None of the hybrids has a full complement of Beltian bodies, large nectaries or fully developed swollen thorns.

Shenck’s description of the type of A. bursaria applies without doubt to the A. hindsii population at site 49, rather than to A. cornigera, which is the only other swollen-thorn acacia at the type locality. The thorns on the type specimen of A. bursaria are exceptionally large type A thorns, of the kind often found on large and very healthy A. hindsii in the wetter parts of Guatemala.

The vegetative branch chosen for the type specimen of A. tepicana is a representative young sucker shoot or central axis from a young seedling before it became occupied by obligate acacia-ants. The thorns are not flattened, but this is the case with most young A. hindsii. Their very light color is also representative of young A. hindsii in areas where the adults have very dark colored thorns. The peduncle with mature fruits accompanying the type specimen was taken from a representative mature A. hindsii. A. hindsii is the only swollen-thorn acacia found as far north as Acaponeta in western Mexico (site 2).

Safford’s type specimen for A. sinaloensis is a representative branch from the upper crown of a normal mature A. hindsii of the form common at the type locality (site 3). Type A thorns of all degrees of flattening occur in such a crown and the

type specimen has thorns representing the smaller end of the spectrum. The seed pod accompanying the type is a normal A. hindsii pod. A. hindsii is the only swollen-thorn acacia found as far north as Villa Union, Sinaloa, Mexico.

KEY COLLECTION LOCALITIES

Mexico:

1. Type of A. hindsii: Shore of Manzanillo Bay, Colima, Mexico (sea level). 1836–39 (or 1841; Sir George Taylor, in litt.), R. B. Hinds, no. 248.

2. Type of A. tepicana: Acaponeta, Nayarit, Mexico (30 m). IV–10–1910. J. N. Rose, P. C. Standley, and P. G. Russell, no. 14357.

3. Type of A. sinaloensis: Villa Union, Sinaloa, Mexico (10 m). IV–2–1910, J. N. Rose, P. C. Standley, and P. G. Russell, no. 13972.

4. Arriaga to 13.2 mi N on Hgy. 200, Chiapas (10–550 m). 1–9–1965, DHJ, nc (common).

5. Tehuantepec to 21.2 mi E on Hgy. 190, Oaxaca (10–30 m). 1–10–1965, DHJ, no. 1041; IX–2–1965, DHJ, nc; VIII–7–1966, DHJ, no. 415 (occasional to rare).

6. Near Salina Cruz, Tehuantepec, Oaxaca (sea level). IX–1–1965, no. 1934 (occasional to common)

7. Tapilula to 3 mi E, Chiapas (700 m). VII–10–1966, DHJ, nc (occasional).

8. 12.2 mi SW El Camaron to 10.2 mi W turn into Texquisistlan on Hgy. 190, Oaxaca (925–735 m). 1–10–1965, DHJ, nos. 1033, 1034.

9. Puerto Escondido to 36.9 mi N on Hgy. to Oaxaca, Oaxaca (sea level to 940 m). VI–19–1967, DHJ, nc (occasional to rare).

10. Las Cruces (just inland from Acapulco) to Puerto Escondido on Hgy. 200, Guererro-Oaxaca (20–300–10 m). VI–18–1967, DHJ, nc (common to occasional).

11. 14.0 mi S Chilpancingo to Las Cruces, Guererro (1175–30 m). 1–7–1965, DHJ, nos. 1031, 1035; DHJ, nc (common).

12. Playa de Pie de la Cuesta (just W of Acapulco) to 13.6 mi SE Papanoa on Hgy. 200, Guererro (sea level). VI–17–1967, DHJ, nc (common to very rare, only along upper edges of swamp sites).

13. 21.6 mi SW Autlan to Barra de Navidad, Jalisco (450–0 m). 1–5–1965, DHJ, nos. 1026, 1027, 1028, 1029, 1030 (common to rare, only in wetter sites).

14. Barra de Navidad to Tecoman, Jalisco-Colima (50–0 m.) 1–5–1965, DHJ, nc (rare-common).

15. 12 mi NW Tepic to 28.4 mi SE Mazatlan on Hgy. 15, Nayarit–Sinaloa (700–5–70 m). IX–14–1963, DHJ, no. 1745; 1–2–1965, DHJ, no. 1011; VI–8–1967, DHJ, nc (rare to common to rare), fl.

16. Hgy. 12 to San Blas on Hgy. 46, Nayarit (200–0 m). I–13–1965, DHJ, nos. 1019, 1020, 1021, 1022, 1023, 1024, 1025.

17. 23.5 mi SW El Palmito to 9.0 mi SW, Concordia on Hgy. 40 (1085–10 m). 1–2–1965, DHJ, nos. 1005, 1006, 1012, 1013, 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017; VI–6–1967, DHJ, nc (common to rare).

18. Palo Blanco, San Ignacio, Sinaloa (340 m). IV–18–1918, M. N. Montes and H. E. Salazar, no. 286 (US 1035197).

19. Puerto Angel, Oaxaca (sea level). IV–12–1933, C. V. Morton and E. Makrinius, no. 2614 (US 1585606), fl.

20. Cafetal Concordia, Oaxaca (400–650 m). IV–15–1933, C. V. Morion and E. Makinius, no. 2427 (US 1585440), fl.

21. Pochutla, Oaxaca (50 m). IV–19–1917, no. 3146, C. Conzatti (US 763852), fl.

22. Huatulco, Oaxaca (150 m). 11–1941, B. P. Reko, no. 6010 (F 1510963), fl.

23. 13.7 mi NE La Mira to Playa Azul and to Melchor Ocampo on Hgy. 37, Michoacan (200–0 m). VI–12–1968, DHJ, nc (common).

24. Guatemala-Mexico border (near Ciudad Cuauhtemoc) to 3.6 mi N on Hgy. 190, Chiapas (720–680 m). VIII–6–1966, DHJ no. 416; VIII–16–1967, DHJ, nc (common to rare)

25. 5.1 mi SW Cintalapa (Chiapas) to 20.9 mi W Tapanatepec (Oaxaca) on Hgy. 190 (610–820–110 m). VIII–18–1967, DHJ, nc (common to rare).

25a. 23.3 mi S Pichucako, on Villa Hermosa-Chiapa de Corzo road, Chiapas (1000 m). VII–10–1966, DHJ, no. 420, 564.

26. 29.3–35.0 mi W Tapanatepec, Oaxaca (100–20 m). VIII–18–1967, DHJ, nc (occasional).

27. 6.8–4.1 m S of turn into Matias Romero, on Hgy. 185, Oaxaca (250 m). VIII–18–1967, DHJ, nc (3 plants).

28. Guatemala-Mexico border (Pte. Talisman) to Arriaga on Hgy. 200, Chiapas. 1–10–1965, DHJ, nc (common).

Guatemala:

29. 6.8 mi SW (1370 m) Guatemala City to Escuintla, Depto. Esquintla on Hgy. 2. 1–12–1965, DHJ, no. 1050; VIII–12–1967, DHJ, nc (common).

30. Shores of Lake Amatitlan and surrounding hills (1300–1350 m). Depto. Guatemala. VIII–11–1967, DHJ, nc (common).

31. Escuintla, Depto. Escuintla (330 m) to Guatemala-Mexico border (Pte. Talisman), Depto. San Marcos (50 m). 1–12–1965, DHJ, nos. 1048, 1049 (rare to common).

32. Retalhuleu SW to Champerico, Depto. Retalhuleu (200–0 m). VIII–1–1966, DHJ, nc (occasional to rare)

33. Retalhuleu to 15.2 mi NE on Hgy. 9S, Depto. Retalhuleu (200–1000 m). VII–18–1966, DHJ, no. 400; VII–16–1966, DHJ, no. 404; VII–28–1966, DHJ, nc (common to rare).34. 16.5 mi SE to Guatemala-Mexico border (Ciudad Cuauhtemoc), Depto. Huehuetenango (900–1000–720 m) on Interamerican Hgy. VIII–16–1967, DHJ, nc (comon).

35. 9.5 mi SW to 6.2 mi NE Puente El Lobo on Hgy. 4, Depto. Zacapa (150 m). V–14–1965, DHJ, nos. 1929, 1930; V–20–1965, DHJ, no. 1931; VIII–9–1967, DHJ, nc (very rare except as clumps on river banks).

36. Guatemala-El Salvador border (25 m; Pijije), Depto. Jutiapa to Escuintla (330 m), Depto Escuintla on Hgy. 6E. 1–13–1965, DHJ, nc (rare to common), fl.

37. Guatemala-El Salvador border (San Cristobal), Depto. Jutiapa to 15.8 mi SE Guatemala City on Hgy. 2, Depto. Guatemala (520–1250 m). VII–7–1967, DHJ, nc (common to rare to common).

38. Tikal, Depto. Peten (100–500 m). IV–2–1922, O. F. Cook and R. D. Martin, no. 170 (US 1084640), mp.

39. San Carlos, Depto. Retalhuleu (650 m). III–22–1921, Rojas, no. 241 (US 1014948), fl.

Vachellia hindsii is a tree which grows up to 13 metres (43 ft) tall, and is native to parts of southern Mexico and parts of Central America.

Acacia hindsii é uma espécie de leguminosa do gênero Acacia, pertencente à família Fabaceae.

Acacia hindsii là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Đậu. Loài này được Benth. miêu tả khoa học đầu tiên.