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| ## Prairie ACACIA {#prairie-acacia .Title-Header}                     |
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| *Acacia angustissima* (P. Mill.) Kuntze                               |
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| Plant Symbol = ACAN                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS James E. 'Bud' Smith Plant Materials Center

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.9993055555555554in"
height="2.2493055555555554in"}

Rudy G. Esquivel

USDA NRCS James E. 'Bud' Smith PMC

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

Fern acacia, white-ball acacia, Texas acacia, prairie guajillo

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

*Erosion control:* Prairie acacia may provide ground cover vegetation
for critically eroding areas to reduce soil erosion and improve water
quality.

*Livestock*: Prairie acacia forms a symbiotic association with rhizobial
bacteria, and this association fixes atmospheric nitrogen. The measured
crude protein percentage of prairie acacia leaves ranges from 16 to 29.
Prairie acacia can withstand frequent cutting or defoliation. Prairie
acacia has been extensively investigated as a fodder shrub/tree for
tropical areas. Reports describe prairie acacia as having low to
moderate palatability. The leaves of prairie acacia contain tannins and
non-protein amino acids. These compounds are toxic to some animals.
Sudden dietary supplementation with prairie acacia fodder at high
concentrations caused death in sheep. The signs of toxicity from prairie
acacia are similar to those exhibited by sheep fed flat pea (*Lathyrus*
*sylvestris*) hay. Rabbits fed prairie acacia leaves (20% of the diet)
exhibited a progressive reduction of intake and weight reduction. All
rabbits consuming prairie acacia showed central nervous system
disturbances. Researchers, in Stephenville, Texas, compared 15 native
perennial herbaceous legumes for herbage production, crude protein
percentage, and laboratory measurements of digestibility. Prairie acacia
exhibited high, compared to the other species, herbage yield and crude
protein percentage. The laboratory measurements suggested that prairie
acacia is more digestible to livestock than other species tested

*Restoration*: Prairie acacia is a hardy and drought tolerant plant that
is useful for revegetation of land disturbed by mining or road
construction.

*Wildlife*: Prairie acacia is browsed by white-tail deer. It is a
prolific seed producer. Quail and other birds will utilize the seed for
food and the vegetation provides cover for small animals and wild birds.

*Alley Cropping:* Prairie acacia has potential as a nitrogen fixation
tree for alley cropping systems in the Caribbean and other subtropical
and tropical areas.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description  {#description .Header-3}

##### Pea Family (Fabaceae). Prairie acacia is a native, perennial, warm-season, hardy, deep taproot legume. A smooth and small rounded shrub, forming colonies by means of woody rhizomes with aerial stems that are thornless and rarely over three feet tall. The plant has an attractive and delicate fern-like foliage which closes at night and when touched. Stems are thin, usually unbranched, glabrate, and ridged. Leaves are alternate, the blade divided into usually 3-12 pairs of segments, these again divided into 6-20 pairs of tiny leaflets. Flowers are small and white to creamy yellow. It has 5 petals and stamens numerous, long, and protruding. Flowers numerous, congested in rounded terminal clusters on long stalks arising from upper leaf axils. Fruit is brownish flat seed pod 4-7 cm (1.6-2.8 in) long and 6-8 mm (0.25-0.3) wide. Plant is similar in appearance to Illinois bundleflower, *Desmanthus illinoensis*, but the fruit and leaf structures are different. {#pea-family-fabaceae.-prairie-acacia-is-a-native-perennial-warm-season-hardy-deep-taproot-legume.-a-smooth-and-small-rounded-shrub-forming-colonies-by-means-of-woody-rhizomes-with-aerial-stems-that-are-thornless-and-rarely-over-three-feet-tall.-the-plant-has-an-attractive-and-delicate-fern-like-foliage-which-closes-at-night-and-when-touched.-stems-are-thin-usually-unbranched-glabrate-and-ridged.-leaves-are-alternate-the-blade-divided-into-usually-3-12-pairs-of-segments-these-again-divided-into-6-20-pairs-of-tiny-leaflets.-flowers-are-small-and-white-to-creamy-yellow.-it-has-5-petals-and-stamens-numerous-long-and-protruding.-flowers-numerous-congested-in-rounded-terminal-clusters-on-long-stalks-arising-from-upper-leaf-axils.-fruit-is-brownish-flat-seed-pod-4-7-cm-1.6-2.8-in-long-and-6-8-mm-0.25-0.3-wide.-plant-is-similar-in-appearance-to-illinois-bundleflower-desmanthus-illinoensis-but-the-fruit-and-leaf-structures-are-different. .Header-3}

#####  {#section .Header-3}

##### Adaptation {#adaptation .Header-3}

Prairie acacia is native from Columbia and the Caribbean, north to
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Florida. Prairie acacia
is a tough subshrub found in dry soils on prairie hillsides, savannahs,
rock outcrops, grasslands and open shrubby vegetation areas. It grows on
well-drained acidic to slightly alkaline soils. This drought tolerant
perennial subshrub grows from Zones 6a-10b of the USDA Plant Hardiness
Zones Map.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

A well prepared seedbed that has been plowed, harrowed, and compacted to
produce a clean and firm seedbed is required. For seed production at the
NRCS/James E. 'Bud' Smith Plant Materials Center near Knox City, Texas,
seeds were planted in 40 inch row pattern at a depth of ¾ inch at 5 Pure
Live Seed (PLS) pound per acre. A two row cotton planter, with a junior
planter attachment, for slick seeds, was used.

On established pasture a native grass drill equipped with coulters and
with a small legume box will do well for planting. Another planting
method if a native grass drill is not available or cannot be used due to
terrain, is tracking the ground with a bulldozer then broadcasting the
seed. Seeds should be inoculated before planting with a general cowpea
inoculant. The proper time of planting is from March to April to assure
establishment before summer. The seed of prairie acacia are small, about
198450-220500 seeds per pound. Mechanical scarification and soaking seed
in cold water have produced increases in the germination percentage.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

##### Plan a grazing management system for prairie acacia growing in pasture or rangeland. Prairie acacia can decrease under misuse or heavy grazing. For an aesthetic landscape use, these plants with their round white flowers that appear in the summer into fall, are attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds. {#plan-a-grazing-management-system-for-prairie-acacia-growing-in-pasture-or-rangeland.-prairie-acacia-can-decrease-under-misuse-or-heavy-grazing.-for-an-aesthetic-landscape-use-these-plants-with-their-round-white-flowers-that-appear-in-the-summer-into-fall-are-attractive-to-bees-butterflies-and-birds. .Header-3}

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

##### No Pest or potential problems were found on prairie acacia while growing at the NRCS/James E. 'Bud' Smith Plant Materials Center near Knox City, Texas.  {#no-pest-or-potential-problems-were-found-on-prairie-acacia-while-growing-at-the-nrcsjames-e.-bud-smith-plant-materials-center-near-knox-city-texas. .Header-3}

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

There are currently no cultivars of prairie acacia in the commercial
seed or plant production.

##### Prepared By {#prepared-by .Header-3}

##### *Rudy G. Esquivel*, USDA NRCS James E. "Bud" Smith Plant Materials Center, Knox City, Texas {#rudy-g.-esquivel-usda-nrcs-james-e.-bud-smith-plant-materials-center-knox-city-texas .Header-3}

##### and {#and .Header-3}

##### *James Henson*, USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana {#james-henson-usda-nrcs-national-plant-data-center-baton-rouge-louisiana .Header-3}

#####  {#section-1 .Header-3}

##### Species Coordinator:  {#species-coordinator .Header-3}

*Rudy G. Esquivel*, USDA NRCS James E. 'Bud' Smith Plant Materials
Center, Knox City, Texas

#####  {#section-2 .Header-4}

##### Edited: 070108 jsp; 080107 jsp {#edited-070108-jsp-080107-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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