For instance, such things as parallel evolution may deceive one into grouping together two plants which are not closely related, in spite of some common characteristics. These similarities have evolved by the respective species developing similarities although they come from unrelated families. These difficulties have caused some botanists to classify some plants differently from other botanists. Each thinks their system is better able to explain the genetic groupings more accurately. This explains why occasionally a plant may appear in a family different from that usually accepted.
Wattles are one such group where there are differences of opinion as to the genetic relationships.
The classification in this paper is based upon that devised by Dahlgren. This is a large family and Dahlgren further divides it into three subfamilies. Acacia and Mimosa . Many botanists consider that Acacia should be divided into several smaller genera but there is no consensus on the number or composition of the separate genera. Description Growth Habit Acacias are mostly trees or shrubs, rarely herbs.