Whitethorn Acacia
Vachellia constricta
Family: Fabaceae
OTHER NAMES
Spanish: huizache, vinorama, chaparro prieto, vara prieta, gigantillo, largoncillo
O’odham: giidag
CHARACTERISTICS
Semi-evergreen, thorny shrub (sometimes a small tree) to 15’ or more tall and wide. In April-June, sweet-smelling flowers appear attracting all sorts of nectar-feeding insects. Legume pods follow the blooms.
LANDSCAPE USE
Large screening shrub or eventually a small landscape tree.
SUN full sun or even reflected heat
WATER low, can live on rainfall when established
SOIL not picky, but well-drained
HARDINESS hardy to about -10°F
BASIN high zone
CONTAINER does moderately well in containers but will not attain full size
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little
Photo by Ries Lindley, SEINET
Vachellia constricta on iNaturalist
ECOLOGY
Larval host for the Mimosa Yellow (Pyrisitia nise), Marine Blue (Leptotes marina), Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus ssp. gyas), and Reakirt's Blue (Echinargus isola) as well as several species of moths. Flowers are fragrant and visited by many insects.
ETHNOBOTANY
Seri make a tea from the mashed seeds and leaves to relieve diarrhea or upset stomachs. Powdered, dried pods and leaves are used to treat skin rashes, medicinal tea can be made from the roots.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Found along washes, on slopes and mesas from 2,000-6,500’ in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, south into Mexico.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant is in the Fabaceae, the legume family. The genus Vachellia contains 162 species. The wide-ranging genus occurs in a variety of open, tropical to subtropical habitats, and is locally dominant.
This plant was formerly known as Acacia constricta.
The genus Vachellia commemorates Rev. John Harvey Vachell (1798-1839), chaplain to the British East India Company in Macao from 1825-1836 and a plant collector in China, while the species name constricta means constricted or contracted, referring to the seed pods.
Flowers occur spring into early summer with puffball, fragrant flowers. Photo by Max Licher, SEINET
The pods are constricted between the seeds thus lending it the species name "constricta". Photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
The thorns are generally straight and white. Photo by Patrick Alexander, SEINET