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Huisache

Vachellia farnesiana

Other common name(s):

Texas Huisache, Sweet Acacia, Perfume Acacia, Mealy Acacia, Mealy Wattle, Cassie

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Bastrop Lost Pines, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

15
to
25
ft.

Spread

15
to
20
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Caliche, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Orange, Yellow

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Nectar, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Deer, Bees

Maintenance

Drought tolerant. Plant in low traffic area because of the thorns. Prune saplings to remove any narrow crotch angles; make pruning cuts at bud or branch. It can form dense thickets from suckers. Suckers can be removed to control spread. Trees favored by twig girdlers and leaf cutter ants. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms January-March. Small multi-branched tree with numerous sharp thorns. Flowers are small, fragrant, orange-yellow clusters. A beautiful tree that casts soft filtered light.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Acacia farnesiana, Acacia farnesiana var. farnesiana, Acacia minuta, Acacia minuta ssp. densiflora, Acacia smallii, Mimosa farnesiana, Pithecellobium minutum, Vachellia densiflora

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VAFA. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Vachellia+farnesiana&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=11896&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=183639#null, 6) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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