Vachellia gentlei (Standl.) Seigler & Ebinger

Acacia gentlei Standley

Acacia gentlei Standley, 1940:77.

Acacia gentlei is the common acacia of wetter sites in British Honduras and lowland northern Guatemala (Figure 44). It is easily distinguished from other swollen-thorn acacias by the combination of elongate inflorescences, one or at the most two elongate petiolar nectaries, and a large number of very thin thorns. Where it is sympatric with A. collinsii and A. cornigera in northern British Honduras, it is easily distinguished from both by attaining heights of 3 to 8 m, while they are generally 1.5 to 3 m in height when reproductive, and by having much darker green foliage that strikingly contrasts with the rust-red bark. Both are generally found in the drier sites, while A. gentlei is generally in the wetter sites. Where the distribution of A. gentlei overlaps with that of A. ruddiae and A. cookii in northern Guatemalan wet forest, A. gentlei is again easily distinguished from the former by being occupied by obligate acacia-ants and by having Beltian bodies on the new foliage. It is distinguished from the latter by having oval petiolar nectaries and elongate inflorescences. Some specimens of A. globulifera have oval petiolar nectaries as well, but the spherical inflorescence of A. globulifera is very easily distinguished from the elongate one of A. gentlei.

Standley’s type specimen of A. gentlei was obviously collected from the upper part of the crown of a large acacia such as the one in Figure 83A, and it is representative of the population whose distribution is plotted in Figure 44. The thorns on the type are slightly redder than most thorns in nature from British Honduras; they look more like those common on the north side of Lake Izabal. The seed pods on the type specimen are not mature but are nearly full length (19 to 20 cm).

KEY COLLECTION LOCALITIES

British Honduras:

1. Type of A. gentlei: British Honduras. P. Gentle, no. 185.

2. 13.5 mi S Sta. Elena, Corozal Prov., to 43.8 mi SE Orange Walk (on road to Belice), Belice Prov., British Honduras (10–30 m). VI–30–1966, DHJ, nos. 582, 575 (occasional to common) fl., mp.

3. 17.9 to 36.1 mi SW Belice (on road to Cayo), Cayo Prov., British Honduras (50–100 m). VII–3–1966, DHJ, nc (common).

4. 2 mi S Sta. Elena, Corozal Prov., British Honduras (sea level), VII–4–1966, DHJ, nc (3 plants).

5. Gallon Jug, British Honduras. III–5–1938, D. A. Lancaster, no. 31 (US 2219935) fl., mp.

6. Maskall, British Honduras. 1–31–1934, P. H. Gentle, no. 1121 (US 1635002), mp.

7. Little Cocquericot, Belize River. III–27–1933,C.L. Lundell, no. 4406 (F 738238).

8. Valentin, El Cayo Prov. VI–1936, C. L. Lundell, no. 6328 (F 894493).

9. Camp 6, El Cayo Prov. III–9–1938, P. H. Gentle, no. 2311 (F 945128).

10. Rio Grande (southern B. H.) (80 m). III–20–1933, W. A. Schipp, no. 1142 (F 669139) ft.

Guatemala:

11. El Zapotillo, 1 km E El Estor, Depto. Izabal, Guatemala (10 m). V–16–1965, DHJ, nos. 657, 659, 665, 667, 671, 690 (common), fl., mp.

12. 16.1 mi SW (Puente El Lobo) Los Amates to 29.4 mi NE (Santa Rosa) Los Amates on CA–9, Depto. Izabal, Guatemala (200 to 50 m). VIII–9–1967, DHJ, nc (common but scattered).

13. 1.0 to 9.4 mi SE Mariscos (S side Lake Izabal), Depto. Izabal, Guatemala (100 m). V–13–1965, DHJ, nc (common).

14. Uaxactun, Depto. Peten, Guatemala, IV–21–1931, H. H. Bartlett, no. 12676 (US 1493227, US 1493228), fl., mp.

15. Aguacaliente, Depto. Santa Rosa. 1–25–1908, W. A. Kellerman, no. 7710 (F 224606) (locality doubtful).