Flower profile
Sweet acacia
Vachellia farnesiana
Sweet acacia (Vachellia farnesiana) is a shrub or small tree in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.
Sweet acacia is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in February–March.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Vachellia farnesiana, also known as Acacia farnesiana, and previously Mimosa farnesiana, commonly known as sweet acacia, huisache, casha tree, or needle bush, is a species of shrub or small tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. Its flowers are used in the perfume industry.
- It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 10 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–March. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 7,208 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #91 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in February–March.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AZ (S2,SNA), GA (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records sweet acacia in 10 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas.
Texas counties with USDA records: Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Burleson, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Hopkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kenedy, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lavaca, Live Oak, Maverick, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Montgomery, Nueces, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Refugio, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Starr, Tarrant, Terrell, Travis, Val Verde, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Native; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced; Puerto Rico: Native; U.S. Virgin Islands: Native.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Acacia farnesiana, Acacia minuta, Acacia smallii, Mimosa farnesiana, Pithecellobium minutum, Vachellia densiflora.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 118 counties across 10 states; the most are in Texas (66), Florida (19), Louisiana (16).
Other Vachellia on Bloomipedia (1): Whitethorn acacia.
More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VAFA.
- iNaturalist, Vachellia farnesiana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Vachellia farnesiana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Vachellia farnesiana (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Linda Jo Conn via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.