Acacia farnesiana
Acacia farnesiana
sweet acacia
- Plant type and subtype:
- Shrubs
- Deciduous
- Tree-like Shrubs
- Trees
- Deciduous
- Shrub-like Trees
- Shrubs
- Hardiness Zone:
- 8,
- 9,
- 10,
- 11
- Light Requirements:
- sun
- Height: 15'-25'
- Leaf Color:
- green
- Bloom Color:
- yellow,
- orange
- Bloom Time:
- Mar,
- Apr,
- Jan,
- Feb
- Water Use:
- low
- Soil Moisture:
- dry
- Soil Description:
- acid,
- neutral,
- alkaline,
- poor,
- loam,
- sand,
- clay
- Additional Tags:
- attracts birds,
- drought tolerant,
- fragrant flowers,
- salt-spray tolerant,
- semi-deciduous
- Description:
Considered either a tall shrub or a small tree, the sweet acacia is semi-evergreen, has feathery and finely divided leaves. It grows as tall as it does wide with a spreading, vase shaped canopy. Beginning in late winter, it produces an abundance of puffy, fragrant, yellow to orange flowers. It will continue to bloom throughout the year, though more sparsely. It produces leguminous fruit encased in woody pods. The seeds are attractive to birds and other wildlife.
- Cultivation:
This acacia is very drought tolerant and adaptable to a wide variety of soils, in full sun. It is a slow grower. Suckers should be removed and the lower branches pruned if a tree form is desired. Thorns are present on the trunk and branches, so care should be taken to select a planting spot where there is little risk of people and children brushing up against the plant. Blooms abundantly Jan-Apr, then throughout the year. It is frost tender. Zones 8-11
- Propagation:
Acacia farnesiana may be propagated by scarified seed, or by cuttings.
- Additional Notes:
The common name, huisache, is Nahuatl (language of the Aztecs) meaning many thorns. The fragrant flowers have been used in the perfume industry. This acacia will drop its leaves under severe drought conditions as a defense mechanism.
Map of Native Range
- Range by State: USDA data
- Recorded County Distribution: USDA data
*The map of native range is based on the latest available USDA data.
There may be gaps in the county level distribution.
AL, AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, NM, TX
Classification
| Kingdom: | Plantae | Plants |
| Subkingdom: | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants |
| Superdivision: | Spermatophyta | Seed plants |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons |
| Subclass: | Rosidae | |
| Order: | Fabales | |
| Family: | Fagaceae | Pea family |
| Genus: | Acacia | acacia |
| Species: | Acacia farnesiana | sweet acacia |
| Synonyms: | Acacia minuta, Acacia smallii, Mimosa farnesiana, Pithecellobium minutum, Vachellia densiflora, Vachellia farnesiana |
huisache, mealy wattle |
USDA Endangered Status
| N/A |
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