I know that I always enjoy learning about plants with which I am unfamiliar. Ashes from the burned plant are used the same way. If most of the huisache have a few well-defined stems or trunks coming from the ground, use the Stem Spray Method. Mimosa trees also grow down here. A. indica (Poir.) Some of the most expensive perfumes are based on an essence called cassie extracted from huisache flowers. $6.99 Constant reapplications of herbicides are about the only way to manage the spread of these spiny and thorny plants when young. Plants for a Future website provides details of various parts of huisache used as astringent and demulcent; and in treatment of wounds, skin inflammations, swellings, sore throat, diarrhea, typhoid, stomachic, dyspepsia, dysentery, leucorrhoea, conjunctivitis, uterorrhagia, neuroses and headaches. Or maybe they were there, and I just did not know what they were called. It is also used in the treatment of dyspepsia and neuroses[269]. The name huisache of Mexico and Texas is derived from Nahuatl and means "many thorns". If you value what we do please give what you can to support our work. All content Copyright Native Plant Society of Texas. She said if I was okay, she was leaving, but that I really needed to get my car off the road altogether; there were too many drivers who ran into people here. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil through formation of nodules that are part of symbiotic relationships between the plant, Rhizobium bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. ]. Mimosa acicularis Poir. : Bipinnately Compound, Distribution first sign of spring in the lower Rio Grande Valley; pioneer species, quick 10 'Wildfire' Black Tupelo Tree Seeds (Nyssa sylvatica) MEDICINAL, EDIBLE FRUITS. , 272 che w-s-ch : a widely cultivated thorny shrubby acacia (Acacia farnesiana) of the southern U.S. and tropical America with fragrant ball-shaped yellow flowers Example Sentences Recent Examples on the Web This includes even South Texas natives such as crepe myrtle, mesquite and huisache. Possibly listed as Vachellia farnesiana Many people also stay away because they fear the thorns. It certainly had a variety of uses in the past, however, I can understand why the cattle ranchers would have to keep it under control. I remember reading about the donner party, suffering from scurvy trapped in a pine forest. Bloom Color: Yellow. The woody branches are used in India as tooth brushes[269]. Yet even in these first days of fall, the Huisache stands out with grace and beauty. Would you like to make regular donations? The book suggests that community and small-scale food forests can provide a real alternative to intensive industrialised agriculture, and help to combat the many inter-related environmental crises that threaten the very future of life on Earth. The juice of the bark is used in Nepal to treat swellings. The wood is used to smoke salmon for preservation. Beyond eating fat and protein-rich acorns, the oak tree has medicinal properties. This past spring, I happened to be in northwest San Antonio near the place of the most extraordinary annual sight of huisache in bloom. Huisache trees can be used for a variety of purposes, including medicine. I pulled over. Huisache is a small tree or shrub native to parts of the southern United States from southern California to southern Florida, and south into Mexico. I love the quote from A.A. Milne that you've included. I get birds and bats dropping seeds of various plants everywhere. More >>>. Perhaps she might think I was some dangerous person. Oaktree medicine is prepared by making a decoction from the bark, using about 1 ounce of bark boiled in 1 cup of water. tolerant of poor drainage. Ashes from the burned plant are used the same way. Its flowers are used in the perfume industry. She probably missed them but did not know what they were called. The juice of the bark is used in Nepal to treat swellings[272]. ]. When the top of the plant is removed, the thorns on the regrowth stems may grow larger than those of seedlings or single-stemmed . Native to the southern U.S. and Central America, its a perennial bushy, thorny shrub or small tree. An important new book from PFAF. Contact your local extension experts County Offices More choices in Lawn & Garden Huisache Botanical Name Acacia farnesiana Plant Type Trees (Small)/Large Shrubs Native To Native to Texas (not part of Edwards Plateau or Blackland Prairie) Plant Height Min 15ft Plant Height Max 20ft+ Plant Spread Min 20ft Plant Spread Max 20ft Light Sun Evergreen/Deciduous Semi-Evergreen Seasonal Interest From Spring Seasonal Interest To Spring But she couldnt. In the 1800s, some enterprising Europeans imported what we in southern and central Texas take for granted; the macerated blooms of huisache grown commercially in southern France and Portugal are used in some of the worlds most expensive perfumes made in Cannes. Some of the finest, most expensive perfumes are based on an essence called "cassie" extracted from Sweet Acacia's flowers. Macerated flowers are placed in melted purified natural fat and allowed to stand for several hours. Poponax farnesiana (L.) Raf. It is a thorny bush or tree with thorns that can get as long as 2 inches. ]. Had she passed golden huisache blooms thousands of times and never noticed them?