Blackbrush (Acacia rigidula)

   
   

Blackbrush (Acacia rigidula), overview and flowers. Photographs by Wynn Anderson.

• Common English Names: Blackbrush Acacia
• Common Spanish Names: Chaparro Prieto, Gavia
• Scientific Name: Acacia rigidula (ah-KAY-shuh ri-JI-du-luh)
• Family: Fabaceae (Legume Family)
• Geographic Range: South Texas, Rio Grande Plains, and eastern Trans-Pecos and adjacent Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Chihuahua in northern Mexico.
• Plant Form: Shrub or, occasionally, a small tree, 3' to 15' H by 3' to 12' W.
• Remarks: Fragrant, pale yellow, cylindrical flower spikes in the spring before leaves fully appear; multistemmed, thorny, thicket-forming shrub; dense, dark green foliage with stiff thorns on rigid branches; slow growing; needs good drainage, tolerates a wide range of soils; low water and full sun, hardy to 20°.

Last Update: 3 Jul 2002