Fabaceae

Whitethorn acacia

Vachellia constricta (Benth.) Seigler & Ebinger

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Vachellia

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Whitethorn acacia (Vachellia constricta) — FlowerPhoto: Rodolfo Maximiliano Gutiérrez-Sánchez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Whitethorn acacia

Synonyms

Acacia constricta Benth.
Acacia constricta var. paucispina Wooton & Standl.
Acaciopsis constricta (Benth.) Britton & Rose
Acaciopsis constricta var. paucispina (Wooton & Standl.) Moldenke
Mimosa arcuata M.Martens & Galeotti

Flowers

In flower: April to September (from 418 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Rodolfo Maximiliano Gutiérrez-Sánchez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: CK2AZ, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Craig Martin, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Vachellia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.