Acacia angustissima

Acacia angustissima (Prairie acacia, White ball acacia) is a perennial, deciduous, shrub or tree in the Fabaceae family native to Central America and the United States. It is also found in South America, India and Pakistan. Other common names for it include Carboncillo, Timbe, Timbre,^[2] Fern Acacia and Prairie wattle.^[3] It grows 1m to 4m in height having whitish, 1.3cm diameter spherical flowers from June through September. "Angustissima" in Latin means "narrowest," describing the look of the shrub's leaves.^[3] It is not listed as being a threatened species.^[2]

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Natural habitat

Altitude: 0-2600m
Annual Temperature Mean: 5-30 deg. C.
Annual Rainfall Mean: 895-2870mm
Soil: A. angustissima is well-suited for acidic, low-nutrient soils and it has very good resistance to drought.^[4]

Uses

Alcoholic beverages

The bark is used in the production of alcoholic beverages.^[4]

Forage

Acacia angustissima's seeds are high in protein and are somewhat useful as forage for livestock.^[2] The tree has a tannin content of 6%, which inhibits the ability of livestock to make use of the tree's protein.^[4]

Medicine

The indigenous Tzotzil and Tzeltal Maya people of Mexico use A. angustissima to treat digestive tract problems. They also use it to treat toothache, rheumatoid arthritis and cuts of the skin. Experiments have shown that A. angustissima mildly inhibits the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.^[4]

Propagation

There are 90,000–100,000 seeds/kg.^[5]

Botanical varieties

• Acacia angustissima (Mill.) Kuntze var. angustissima
• Acacia angustissima (Mill.) Kuntze var. chisosiana Isely
• Acacia angustissima (Mill.) Kuntze var. hirta (Torrey & A.Gray)Robinson
• Acacia angustissima (Mill.) Kuntze var. shrevei (Britton & Rose)Isely
• Acacia angustissima (Mill.) Kuntze var. suffrutescens (Rose)Isely
• Acacia angustissima (Mill.) Kuntze var. texensis (Torrey & A.Gray)Isely^[6]

References

Notes

1. ^ ILDIS LegumeWeb
2. ^ ^{a b c} Acacia angustissima
3. ^ ^{a b} Native Plant Information Network
4. ^ ^{a b c d} World Agroforestry Centre
5. ^ Tropical Forages
6. ^ ILDIS Legumes of the World

General references

• The Nature Conservancy

See also

• Acacia