Share

Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Search native plant database:
Name:    
Family:    

Acacia angustissima (Prairie acacia)
Northington, David K.

Acacia angustissima (P. Mill.) Kuntze

Prairie acacia, Fern acacia, Prairie wattle, Whiteball acacia

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonyms: Acacia angustissima var. hirta, Acacia hirta, Acacia angustissima var. texensis, Acacia texensis

USDA Symbol: acan

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Prairie wattle or fern acacia is a 1-4 ft., rounded sub-shrub with feathery, deciduous foliage and white, 1/2 in., globe-shaped flower heads on long, upper axillary stalks. This shrub’s thornless stems are graceful and wand-like. Round masses of creamy white or salmon-colored flowers resembling shaving brushes, rising on slender stalks from the axils of compound leaves. This attractive native legume has seeds that are rich in protein; the plant is readily eaten by livestock and decreases in abundance with heavy grazing. The species name, meaning most narrow in Latin, refers to the nature of the leaflets. This species resembles the taller Prairie Mimosa (Desmanthus illinoensis), also a native perennial with doubly pinnately compound leaves, but not a woody shrub.

The foliage of fern acacia is more impressive than its flowers. The thornless plant makes a good ground cover, colonizing by means of woody rhizomes. Form is variable. After the first hard frost, fern acacia dies to the ground.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Bipinnate
Flower: Flowers in 1/2 inch globes
Fruit:
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AR , AZ , FL , KS , LA , MO , NM , OK , TX
Native Distribution: Missouri and Kansas south to Mexico, east to Louisiana, west to New Mexico
Native Habitat: Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannahs, Woodlands edge, Hillsides, Slopes, High elevation
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Sandy, Limestone-based, Calcareous; Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay; Well-drained

Benefit

Use Ornamental: A thornless acacia with lacy foliage for use as a ground cover and in prairie restorations.
Use Wildlife: Flowers attract butterflies.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Acacia angustissima is a larval host and/or nectar source for:

(Sphingicampa raspa)
Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds , Softwood Cuttings
Description: Propagate by scarified seed or softwood cuttings.
Seed Collection: Collect in late summer to early fall when seeds are firm, filled out, and dark brown.
Seed Treatment: Scarification.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: To look its best, may require waterings during droughts.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Wispy plant to put behind a waterfall
May 30, 2008
Needing a 10-20ft wispy ______ to plant behind our waterfall to help block out road noise. We live in Austin. I've looked at the Mexican weeping bamboo but are there other options?
view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Tohono Chul Park, Inc. - Tucson, AZ
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 355 - Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest (1991) Miller, G. O.
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 1 - Benny Simpson's Texas Native Shrubs (2002) Texas A&M University Agriculture Program and Leslie Finical, Dallas Arboretum
Webref 2 - Fire Effects Information System (2008) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory
Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2008) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Acacia angustissima in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Acacia angustissima in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Acacia angustissima

Metadata

Record Modified: 2012-09-17
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back