Vachellia sphaerocephala

Tilcayo Cats original · Plants · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Vachellia sphaerocephala is a thorny shrub or small tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Kew's current checklist records a native range from Mexico to Honduras. It is one of the acacias whose swollen thorns and leaf food bodies are associated with resident ants.

Description

The taxonomic account describes a spreading, many-branched shrub usually reaching two metres, sometimes five. Its stout paired thorns are swollen near the base. Leaves divide twice into numerous small leaflets, with no obvious side veins in the leaflets. The yellow flower clusters are short and nearly rounded.

Red to maroon pods taper into a pointed beak. They remain closed when mature and contain brown seeds in pale pulp. The treatment records flowering between December and April.

Habitat and range records

The older account describes coastal sand dunes and other dry sites in eastern Mexico, especially around Tamaulipas and Veracruz. It reports numerous acacia ants in the beach populations examined and abundant small food bodies on developing leaflets. Kew's newer country-level record is broader, including Honduras and several Mexican regions. It also lists introductions to Pakistan and Trinidad and Tobago.

Names

Acacia sphaerocephala is the earlier combination. Acacia dolichocephala Saff., published in 1915, is another synonym; Kew marks it as an illegitimate later homonym. It must be distinguished from Harms's African species, which was given the same Acacia name earlier.