Virginia Tech Dendrology

guajillo Fabaceae Senegalia berlandieri Britton & Rose symbol: SEBE2
Leaf: Alternate, bipinnately compound, 4 to 6 inches long, with 6 to 10 pairs of major leaflets and numerous (30 to 40), very small elliptical, minor leaflets making the foliage look fern-like and very lacy, green to gray-green in color.
Flower: Species is monoecious; numerous, very small, creamy white, in a tight round cluster (balls) 1/2 inch across on a 2 to 3 inch long stalk, very fragrant, appearing in early spring.
Fruit: A broad, flat, brown, velvety legume (3 to 5 inches long), ripens in the summer.
Twig: Slender, slightly zigzag, reddish when new but turning gray-brown, may be thornless but usually has a few small, flexible thorns; spur shoots very short; buds sunken in leaf scar.
Bark: Gray-brown with shallow fissures and a few scattered thorns.
Form: A multi-branched shrub or small tree reaching up to 10 to 15 feet tall with a broad crown. With some pruning it can be shaped into a nice patio tree.
Looks like: desertfern - sweet acacia - whitethorn acacia - catclaw mimosa

Additional Range Information: Senegalia berlandieri is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information