Acacia willardiana     
Palo blanco   
Fabaceae Family     

Form: slender graceful arching tree with sparse foliage
Seasonality: normally evergreen, may drop leaves in cold or drought
Size: 10-20ft or more with spread 1/3 to 2/3 height

distinctive midrib and leaflet arrangement on Acacia willardiana

Leaves: mid-rib with 5-6 leaflets on end (also described as flattened petiole)
Flowers: catkins, rod or bottle-brush-like, white or light yellow
Fruit: multichambered pod, tan, 3-4in long
Stems/Trunks: beautiful bark exfoliates like curled paper, very light in color
Range/Origin: Sonoran desert of Mexico
Hardiness: frost sensitive, damaged in high twenties

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• accent plant
• narrow canopy, good in tight areas with warm exposures
• filter shade for underplantings

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun, needs warm location, best near hot walls
• Water: low once established, drought tolerant; water once per month in periods of long drought
• Soil: tolerant, good drainage, okay on rocky slopes
• Propagation: seed
• Maintenance: low, midrib drop

NOTES:

example of bark exfoliating to reveal white trunk

aka Willard's acacia

beautiful tree, more photographs here coming soon

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This page was first created September 10, 2001 and last modified May 31, 2004.

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Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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