Vachellia farnesiana

Read about Vachellia farnesiana in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Acacia farnesiana, Willd. (A. leptophylla, DC.). Popinac. Opopanax. Cassie. Huisache. Much-branching shrub, 6-10ft.: stipules straight, slender, sometimes minute spines; pinnae 5-8 pairs; lfts. mostly 10-25 pairs, 1-2 lines long, narrow, linear, glabrous: peduncles 2 or 3 in the older axils; fl.-heads large, globular, deep yellow, very fragrant, pods almost terete, indehiscent, at length turgid and pulpy. Feb., March. Texas, Mex., Asia, Afr. and Austral. Grown in France for perfumery.—Its origin is probably American, but it is now naturalized in nearly every tropical country. It was intro. into the Hawaiian Isls. as an ornamental, but escaped from cult, and has now almost become a pest. A new variety of A. Farnesiana has been discovered which is more hardy than the type and grows more rapidly. It produces two crops of fls. a year, which makes it very lucrative for the making of perfumery. The pods are said to contain a tannin. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Sunset Zones:		13-26

Scientific Names

Acacia farnesiana, commonly known as Needle Bush, is so named because of the numerous thorns distributed along its branches. The native range of A. farnesiana is uncertain. While the point of origin is Mexico and Central America the species has a pantropical distribution incorporating Northern Australia and Southern Asia. It remains unclear whether the extra-American distribution is primarily natural or anthropogenic. It is deciduous over part of its range, but evergreen in most locales. The species grows to a height of up to 8m tall and has a life span of about 25-50 years.

Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd.

The plant has been recently spread to many new locations as a result of human activity and it is considered a serious weed in Fiji, where locals call it Ellington's Curse. It thrives in dry, saline or sodic soils. It is also a serious pest plant in parts of Australia, including north-west New South Wales, where it now infests thousands of acres of grazing country.

Taxonomy

• Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. lenticellata (F.Muell.)Bailey
• Acacia indica (Poir.) Desv.
• Acacia lenticellata F. Muell.
• Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch.
• Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch. subsp. minuta (M.E.Jones)R.M.Beauch.
• Farnesia odora Gasp.
• Farnesiana odora Gasp.
• Mimosa acicularis Poir.
• Mimosa farnesiana L.
• Mimosa indica Poir.
• Mimosa suaveolens Salisb.
• Pithecellobium acuminatum M.E. Jones
• Pithecellobium minutum M.E. Jones
• Popanax farnesiana (L.) Raf.
• Poponax farnesiana (L.) Raf.
• Vachellia farnesiana Wight & Arn.""

• Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. lenticellata (F.Muell.)Bailey
• Acacia indica (Poir.) Desv.
• Acacia lenticellata F. Muell.
• Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch.
• Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch. subsp. minuta (M.E.Jones)R.M.Beauch.
• Farnesia odora Gasp.
• Farnesiana odora Gasp.
• Mimosa acicularis Poir.
• Mimosa farnesiana L.
• Mimosa indica Poir.
• Mimosa suaveolens Salisb.
• Pithecellobium acuminatum M.E. Jones
• Pithecellobium minutum M.E. Jones
• Popanax farnesiana (L.) Raf.
• Poponax farnesiana (L.) Raf.
• Vachellia farnesiana Wight & Arn.""

? Scientific classification
Domain: {{{domain}}} Superkingdom: {{{superregnum}}} Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: {{{subregnum}}} Superdivision: {{{superdivisio}}} Superphylum: {{{superphylum}}} Division: Magnoliophyta Phylum: {{{phylum}}} Subdivision: {{{subdivisio}}} Subphylum: {{{subphylum}}} Infraphylum: {{{infraphylum}}} Microphylum: {{{microphylum}}} Nanophylum: {{{nanophylum}}} Superclass: {{{superclassis}}} Class: Magnoliopsida Sublass: {{{subclassis}}} Infraclass: {{{infraclassis}}} Superorder: {{{superordo}}} Order: Fabales Suborder: {{{subordo}}} Infraorder: {{{infraordo}}} Superfamily: {{{superfamilia}}} Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: {{{subfamilia}}} Supertribe: {{{supertribus}}} Tribe: {{{tribus}}} Subtribe: {{{subtribus}}} Genus: Acacia Subgenus: {{{subgenus}}} Section: {{{sectio}}} Series: {{{series}}} Species: A. farnesiana Subspecies: {{{subspecies}}}
[[{{{diversity_link}}}|Diversity]]
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Binomial name
Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd.
Trinomial name
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Type Species
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Synonyms
*"Acacia acicularis Willd. Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. lenticellata (F.Muell.)Bailey Acacia indica (Poir.) Desv. Acacia lenticellata F. Muell. Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch. Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch. subsp. minuta (M.E.Jones)R.M.Beauch. Farnesia odora Gasp. Farnesiana odora Gasp. Mimosa acicularis Poir. Mimosa farnesiana L. Mimosa indica Poir. Mimosa suaveolens Salisb. Pithecellobium acuminatum M.E. Jones Pithecellobium minutum M.E. Jones Popanax farnesiana (L.) Raf. Poponax farnesiana (L.) Raf. Vachellia farnesiana Wight & Arn."

The taxon name "farnesiana" comes from the Farnese Gardens in Rome. It was brought there from the Caribbean and Central America.

A little of the Uses

Bark and Thorns of Acacia farnesiana

Bark

The bark is used for its tannin content.

Food

"Roasted pods used in sweet and sour dishes."

Flowers

The flowers are processed through distillation to produce a perfume called Cassie. It is widely used in the perfume industry in Europe. Scented ointments from Cassie are made in India.

Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. - sweet acacia seeds

Foliage

The foliage is a significant source of forage in much of its range, with a protein content of around 18%.

Seed pods

The concentration of tannin in the seed pods is about 23%.

Seeds

The seeds of A. farnesiana are completely non-toxic to humans and are a valuable food source for people throughout the plant's range. The mature seeds are put through a press to make oil for cooking. Nonetheless an anecdotal report has been made that in Brazil some people use the seeds of A. farnesiana to eliminate rabid dogs. This is attributed to an unnamed toxic alkaloid.

Forage

The tree makes good forage for bees.

Dyes and Inks

A black pigment is extracted from the bark and fruit.

Perfume

Acaci farnesiana flowers are distilled in the south of France to make an essential oil called Cassie which is used as a basis for aromatherapy and perfume.

Traditional medicine

The bark and the flowers are the parts of the tree most used in traditional medicine. A. farnesiana has been used in Colombia to treat malaria, and recently it has been been confirmed in the laboratory that extract from the tree bark and leaves is effective against the malarial pathogen Plasmodium falciparum. Indiginous Australians have used the roots and bark of the tree to treat diarrhea and diseases of the skin. The tree's leaves can also be rubbed on the skin to treat skin diseases.

Common names

Farnese Wattle, Dead Finish, Mimosa Wattle, Mimosa bush, Prickly Mimosa Bush, Prickly Moses, Needle Bush, North-west Curara, Sheep's Briar, Sponge Wattle, Sweet Acacia, Thorny Acacia, Thorny Feather Wattle, Wild Briar, Huisache, Cassie, Cascalotte, Cassic, Mealy Wattle, Popinac, Sweet Briar, Texas Huisache, Aroma, (Bahamas) Cashia, (Bahamas, USA) Opoponax, Cashaw, (Belize) Cuntich, (Jamaica) Cassie-flower, Cassie, Iron Wood, Cassie Flower, Honey-ball, Casha Tree, Casha, (Virgin Islands) Cassia, (Fiji) Ellington's Curse.

Botanical varieties

• Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. farnesiana
• Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. guanacastensis H.D.Clarke et al.

References

General references

• List of Acacia species

External links

• Dr. Duke's Database