Vachellia farnesiana

Family: Fabaceae Genus: Vachellia Species: farnesiana

Synonyms: Acacia farnesiana, Vachellia farnesiana f. typica, Mimosa farnesiana, Poponax farnesiana

Western Herbalism Properties

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Botanical Description

Vachellia farnesiana is a deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub or small tree of the Fabaceae family growing 2-8 m tall with a rounded, often multi-stemmed crown and slender zigzag branchlets armed with paired straight white stipular spines 1-3 cm long at each node. Bark is grey to reddish-brown, smooth at first and becoming finely fissured with age. Leaves are alternate, bipinnate, 2-8 cm long with two to eight pairs of pinnae each bearing ten to twenty pairs of small oblong leaflets 2-7 mm long that are glabrous and dark glossy green. Inflorescences are dense globose heads 1-1.5 cm across, intensely fragrant, bright golden-yellow and borne on slender peduncles in axillary clusters of one to several. Individual flowers are minute with numerous protruding yellow stamens that give the head a powderpuff aspect. Pods are stout, cylindrical to slightly compressed, 4-9 cm long, dark purplish-brown to black at maturity, indehiscent and contain several hard ellipsoid seeds embedded in spongy pulp. Native to the warmer regions of the Americas and widely naturalised through the tropics and subtropics.

Native Region: Alabama, Argentina Northeast, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, French Guiana, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Texas, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Uruguay, Venezuela, Windward Is.

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

Vachellia farnesiana has a long history of use in Mexican and Central American folk medicine, where decoctions of the bark and pods have been used as astringent washes for skin complaints, ulcers and gum inflammation, and as internal remedies for diarrhoea and dysentery. Infusions of the fragrant flowers are taken as a mild calming and digestive tea, and the flower-distilled water (cassie water) has historically been applied externally as a cooling, soothing wash. The roots have been chewed or boiled for toothache. The species is widely naturalised and integrated into Caribbean and South American folk pharmacopoeias for similar indications; no use is documented for Indigenous peoples of what is now the United States in the NAEB record.

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

41010

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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