Acacia

(Catclaw)
Acacia greggii var. wrightii  
Ht. 15-30’ Spread 10-12’
Spacing 10-15’
Deciduous - Sun

ah-KAY-shuh GREG-ee-eye, WRITE-ee-eye
 

HABIT: Native to south Texas. Small tree with feathery foliage and fragrant flowers in the spring. It is thorny and thicket-forming, with a spreading, irregular overall form. Flowers are off-white to creamy yellow. Seeds are dark brown and shiny.
 



CULTURE:  Extremely drought tolerant and needs little fertilizer. Can grow in rocky soils but adapts to fairly heavy clay soils as well if they are well drained.

USES: Small ornamental tree

PROBLEMS: Not widely available

NOTES: Flowers are fragrant and make a superb honey.


 

Over 1,200 species, 20 or so in cultivation, many are fragrant in bloom, should not be fertilized, as a group they are fast growing and short lived (20-30 years), fertilization and irrigation will shorten their life, generally propagated by seed, many do well in Houston

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