Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

sweet acacia Fabaceae Vachellia farnesiana (L.) Wight & Arn. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: VAFA
Leaf: Alternate, evergreen, bipinnately compound, 2 to 4 inches long, with 3 to 6 pairs of major leaflets and 10 to 20 pairs of minor, very finely divided leaflets, green to grayish green.
Flower: Species is monoecious; many small, yellow to orange, in a tight round cluster (balls), 1/2 inch across on a 2 to 3 inch long stalk, fragrant, appearing in early spring.
Fruit: A 2 to 3 inch long legume, rounded in cross section, dark brown to nearly black, flattened seeds inside.
Twig: Slender, slightly zigzag, olive-brown to brown, speckled with light colored lenticels, a pair of straight, light colored spines (1/2 inch long) at the base of each leaf, spur shoots numerous; buds sunken in leaf scar.
Bark: Initially smooth and olive green, turning brown to gray-brown and becoming furrowed and scaly.
Form: Upright, multi-branched, large, thicket forming shrub or a small tree up to 20 feet in height with a spreading crown.
 Looks like: catclaw acacia - guajillo - Texas ebony - fairy duster

sweet acacia leaf image
sweet acacia flower image
sweet acacia fruit image
sweet acacia twig image
sweet acacia bark image
sweet acacia form image
sweet acacia map image

Additional Range Information: Vachellia farnesiana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2025 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