Acacia constricta

Acacia constricta
Whitehorn acacia
Fabaceae Family

Compiled by the Master Gardeners
of the University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension.

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Form: large shrub or small multistemmed tree; can be trained to single stemmed tree
Seasonality: deciduous

shrubby form of Acacia constricta
Size: 6-20ft with equal spread; slow growth rate
Leaves: bipinnately compound; leaflets 1in long 1/2in across
Flowers: yellow puffballs, aromatic, biggest bloom in spring and early summer, then sporadic
Fruit: slender, long pods (2-5in), dark brown, pod sheath constricted between seeds
Stems/Trunks: white thorns of varying length; typically 1/4 to 1in long and white; thorns are most obvious on young trees, fewer found on mature specimens; young stem growth has reddish color
Range/Origin: Chihuahuan deserts of New Mexico and Texas, Sonoran deserts of Arizona and Mexico; elevations of 1500-5000ft
Hardiness: to single digits
LANDSCAPE VALUE:

residential scale tree
barrier shrub
revegetation
wildlife habitat

just-opening flowers
CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

Exposure: full sun
Water: natural rainfall, drought tolerant; for best landscape quality infrequent deep irrigations are best; recommend once per month but will handle one per week
Soil: tolerant; found naturally in loose, well drained soils, prefers mesas
Propagation: seed, relatively easy; requires mechanical or chemical scarification
Maintenance: minimal; training to tree shape if desired

NOTES:
may be thornless at any age
usually multistemmed

two forms of thorns on labeled specimens of Acacia constricta

comparison chart for select Acacia species
	A. greggii	A. smallii	A. constricta
thorns	small, distinctively hooked or curved	white, usually on new growth	straight, white, also on new growth
leaflets	oval, less numerous	much smaller, more numerous, feathery or fernlike	ferny, numerous leaflets, each leaflet smaller
stems	gray	dark with age, almost black	twigs are reddish
growth rate		fastest
growth habit	tree	most upright	tree
origin		not native
uses	barrier	most commonly used in landscapes

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This page was first created August 2, 2002 and last modified March 15, 2006.

Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net
© 2002 - 2006 Arizona Board of Regents. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved.


two forms of thorns on labeled specimens of Acacia constricta

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