Vachellia vernicosa

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Vachellia vernicosa, also called Chihuahuan whitethorn or vinorama, is a thorny shrub of the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. It belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae, and is associated with the Chihuahuan Desert.

Appearance

The shrub can reach about three metres tall. Its bark is smooth and grey to reddish-purple, and the branches carry paired spines. The small, dark green leaves are divided twice: usually one or two pairs of side branches carry paired leaflets. The sticky surface of the foliage gives it a glossy appearance.

Pale yellow flowers form small spherical heads. The reddish-brown pods are narrow and flattened, often pinched between the seeds. They are about four to nine centimetres long and split open when mature. The twigs and pods, as well as the leaves, have a sticky coating. Their largely hairless surfaces and the small number of leaf divisions help distinguish the species from related shrubs.

Range and habitat

The northern part of its range includes southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico and southwestern Texas. It grows on rocky slopes and in valleys, often on limestone. It sheds its leaves in response to drought and cold; the University of Arizona account records flowering during summer.

The botanical fact sheet also records populations on dry, disturbed slopes and plains with lime-rich or gypsum-rich soils, at roughly 700–1,700 metres elevation. Its Mexican range extends south to Querétaro, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas.

Botanical names

Acacia neovernicosa is an earlier name for this species. The name Acacia vernicosa has also been applied to it, but that wording was already used for an unrelated Australian plant now treated as Acacia incrassata. The author attached to an old scientific name therefore matters when identifying historical records.