sweet acacia Fabaceae Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. Listen to the Latin   symbol: ACFA
Other Fact Sheets
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: 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.
 
USDA Plants Database
Acacia farnesiana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting sweet acacia (opens a new window).

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