Senegalia (from Senegal and Acacia senegal (L.) Willd.)[2] is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the Mimosoid clade. Until 2005, its species were considered members of Acacia.[3][4]The genus was considered polyphyletic and required further division, [4][5] with the genera Parasenegalia and Pseudosenegalia accepted soon after.
Senegalia can be distinguished from other acacias by its spicate inflorescences and non-spinescent stipules.[6] Plants in the genus are native to the tropical and subtropical areas of the world, occurring on the Australian, Asian, African and South and North American continents, as well as in Wallacea.[7]