Changes

:Family: Mimosaceae (Leguminosae - Mimosoideae)

== Origin and geographic distribution ==

The wood is used locally for construction and canoes.

Medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 30 m tall; bole straight, up to 100 cm in diameter; bark scaly, reddish brown; young branches sparsely pubescent. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound with (3–)4–6 pairs of pinnae, these alternate to opposite; stipules triangular, c. 2 mm long, caducous; petiole (2.5–)4–9 cm long, rachis (4–)6–22 cm long, grooved and slightly pubescent above; leaflets 11–15 per pinna, alternate, shortly stalked, oblong to broadly elliptical, up to 3 cm × 1.5 cm, rounded at base and apex, almost glabrous. Inflorescence an axillary raceme (5–)10–20 cm long, many-flowered. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, yellow; pedicel 2–4 mm long, with joint near base; calyx shortly obconical, 1.5–2 mm long, glabrous, with short lobes; petals free, elliptical, 3–4 mm long, reflexed; stamens 10, free, anthers with a stalked gland at apex; ovary superior, shortly stalked, narrowly oblong, glabrous, style c. 3.5 mm long. Fruit a narrowly oblong to linear and sickle-shaped pod (10–)20–30 cm × 1.5 cm, flattened, stalked, with thickened margins, glabrous, yellowish, silky, dehiscent with 2 valves, up to 15-seeded. Seeds flattened ellipsoid, 8–11 mm × 6–8 mm, black in the lower part and red-orange in the upper part.

''Adenanthera'' comprises about 12 species, which are all indigenous to tropical Asia and northern Australia, except ''Adenanthera mantaroa''. Two species are occasionally planted as an ornamental and roadside tree in tropical Africa: ''Adenanthera microsperma'' Teijsm. & Binn. and ''Adenanthera pavonina'' L. The latter species occurs occasionally naturalized in Madagascar; it differs in its leaflets that are pubescent below and in its completely red mature seeds.

== Ecology ==

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