Prairie Acacia

Acacia angustissima

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

White ball Acacia, Fern Acacia, Whiteball Acacia, Prairie Wattle, White-ball Acacia

Courtesy: Anderson, Wynn, https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=68566

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Native Habitat: Grassland

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain

Maintenance

After the first hard frost, fern acacia dies to the ground. For use as a ground cover and in prairie restorations. Colonizes by rhizomes.

Comments

A thornless acacia with lacy foliage of compound leaves are it’s most attractive feature. Round masses of creamy white or salmon-colored flowers resembling shaving brushes. This native legume has seeds that are rich in protein; The species name, meaning “most narrow” in Latin, refers to the nature of the leaflets. Resembles a shrub but is not woody.

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1 to

3 ft

Spread

1.5 to

2 ft

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Limestone, Alkaline, Calcareous, Well Drained, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Summer

Seasonal Interest

Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies

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Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Acaciella angustissima

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas.. 2) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Acaciella+angustissima&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACAN11. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=10283&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg 96. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=26418#null

Native Plant Society of Texas