Bauhinia-leaf Acacia (Senegalia crassifolia)

   
 

Overview and close-up of Senegalia crassifolia, Coahuila, Mexico. Photographs by Wynn Anderson.

 

Leaves and seed pods, Coahuila, Mexico. Photographs by Wynn Anderson.

• Common English Names: Bauhinia-leaf Acacia
• Common Spanish Names: None known
• Scientific Name: Senegalia crassifolia (sen-eh-GAL-ee-ah crass-ih-FOL-lee-uh)
• Family: Fabaceae (Legume Family)
• Geographic Range: Limited to a narrow strip of desertic mountainous limestone areas in southwestern Coahuila and northeastern Durango, adjacent edges of Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí.
• Description: A mid-sized broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree with reddish brown, flexible young branches armed by very small recurved spines. Leaves are bi-pinnate, each of the two leaflets being round to 4 cm in size with a waxy surface and prominent veins. Flowers are marble-size pale creamy globose balls and the subsequent legumes are slightly curved but substantial. Mature plant foliage, dense in appearance because its evergreen character, is further enhanced by not readily shedding previous years growth.
• Landscape Use: None. Plant is not commercially available and it would only be useful in low desert, frost-free areas with well draining, calcareous soils.
• Notes: Formerly known as Acacia crassifolia. Unique among the other related leguminous plants formerly known as Acacias in the Chihuahuan Desert Region with two large, paired (bi-pinnate) leaflets, much like those of the genus Bauhinia.

Last Update: 17 Sep 2013.