Fun Fact #55: If you have not seen a wattle (plant, that is) it is bushy thing (sometime trees) with yellow fluffy flowers. Now across the world but particularly in Australia and Africa these plants were all named and put into the genus Acacia. Then as taxonomy became more advanced the scientists decided that the genus Acacia was actually a mix of a whole pile of other genuses, each organised into their respective region. That is when the Acacia war started, who gets to keep the genus name Acacia? As taxonomists do they fought about it for a number of years.

Question

trancenova · Answer

“We should have Acacia, we named it first” shouts Africa, 
“But we have more of them, we should have Acacia” shouts back Australia.

Well this July the decision was made, we (Australia) got Acacia and unfortunately for Africa (and the rest of the world) they had to re-name all of their Acacia species. Africa now lays claim to the genus Racosperma.

trancenova · Answer

Sources: http://www.independentaustralia.net/2011/australian-identity/australia-wins-the-acacia-wars/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racosperma Yay Acacia! .. I had to try very hard not to make star wars jokes in this one, dunnn da da daaa da daa naa naa dun dun daa daa.

anonymous · Answer

ha ha!! acacia war cool!

trancenova · Answer

Yeah! I thought it was really funny that they called it "the Acacia wars" Thanks for the medal :)