Mealy False Acacia

Vachellia farnesiana (L.) Wight & Arn. Prodr. 272. 1834
Mimosa Farnesiana L. Sp. PI. 521. 1753. Acacia Farnesiana Willd, Sp. PI. 4: 1083. 1806. Acacia acicularis Willd. Enum. 1056. 1809.
Usually a shrub, not over 3 in. high, rarely a small tree up to 9 m,, much branched, the twigs glabrous or nearly so. Leaves 5-10 cm. long, with a small gland on the petiole; stipular spines whitish, 0.5-5 cm. long; pinnae 2-6 pairs; petiole and rachis commonly pubescent; leaflets 10-25 pairs, linear, or linear-oblong, obtuse, 3-5 mm, long; peduncles slender, pubescent, 2-4 cm. long; heads of flowers about 12 mm. in diameter, fragrant, bright yellow; legume turgid, somewhat curved, glabrous, 4-7 cm. long, about 1 cm. thick.
Type locality: Domingo.
Distribution: Florida; Louisiana; Texas; West Indies; southern and Lower California to Sonora, Panama, Venezuela and Argentina; Old World tropics.

Perennial, Trees, Shrubs, Woody throughout, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems greater than 2 m tall, Trunk or stems armed with thorns, spines or prickles, Stems solid, Stems or young t wigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Extrafloral nectary glands on petiole, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules persistent, Stipules free, Stipules spinose or bristles, Leaves compound, Leaves even pinnate, Leaves bipinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers actinomorphic or somewhat irregular, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals united, valvate, Petals white, Stamens numerous, more than 10, Stamens completely free, separate, Stamens long exserted, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit tardily or weakly dehiscent, Fruit indehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit inflated or turgid, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds embedded in gummy or spongy pulp, Seed with elliptical line or depression, pleurogram, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.