Senegalia roemeriana

Botanical Name

Senegalia roemeriana (Scheele) Britton & Rose

Common Name(s)

  • Roemer's acacia

Synonyms

Legume Clades

Caesalpinioideae , Mimosoid Clade , Core Mimosoids , Ingoid Clade , Senegalia

Native Geographic Range

  • Southwestern North America

IUCN Status

LC (Least concern)
See IUCN Red List Assessment

Growth Form

small tree
shrub

Cultivation Status in AZ

Rarely cultivated

Description

Deciduous shrubs or rarely trees to 20+ ft (6 m) high. The bark is smooth and gray, and becomes somewhat rough and fissured on larger trunks. The twigs are armed with prickles. Leaves are bipinnate with 1--3 pairs of pinnae, each with 3--8 pairs of leaflets. Flowers are whitish and are produced in spherical inflorescences in the spring.

Habitat

Native to central, southern, and western Texas, and southeatern New Mexico, and also in northeastern Mexico. It is found in grassland, woodland, and thornscrub on slopes, valley, and along arroyos.

Uses

The flowers are desirable bee forage for honey production.

Horticulture

Roemer's acacia has rarely been available from nurseries. I can be trained into a small tree but the prickly stems are a hazard near traffic areas until it has grown to a height where lower stems can be removed. The plants can be planted as a barrier. This species is hardy to at least 0° F (-18° C). The fallen fruits and leaflets produce minor litter.