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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Acacia constricta | Whitethorn Acacia
ABBREVIATION :
ACACON
SYNONYMS :
Acaciopsis constricta
SCS PLANT CODE :
ACCO2
COMMON NAMES :
whitethorn acacia
whitethorn
white-thorn
mescat acacia
largancillo
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of whitethorn acacia is Acacia
constricta Benth. in Gray [3,16,17].
LIFE FORM :
Tree, Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Ronald Uchytil/August 1990
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1990. Acacia constricta. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Acacia constricta | Whitethorn Acacia
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Whitethorn acacia occurs in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, southern
New Mexico, southern and central Arizona, and northern Mexico [12,17].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES40 Desert grasslands
STATES :
AZ NM TX MEXICO
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
BIBE CACA CORO FOBO GUMO ORPI
SAGU
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
7 Lower Basin and Range
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K027 Mesquite bosque
K031 Oak - juniper woodlands
K032 Transition between K031 and K037
K042 Creosotebush - bursage
K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
K044 Creosotebush - tarbush
K054 Grama - tobosa prairie
K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
K065 Grama - buffalograss
SAF COVER TYPES :
68 Mesquite
239 Pinyon - juniper
241 Western live oak
242 Mesquite
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Whitethorn acacia is generally not a dominant plant but occurs as
scattered individuals in many plant communities. Within Sonoran Desert
uplands, it attains its highest densities in washes [11]. It sometimes
codominates desert shrub types in the Chihuahuan Desert with
creosotebush (Larea tridentata) on gravelly loam [8]. Whitethorn acacia
is not listed as a dominant plant or habitat type indicator in any
published classifications.
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Acacia constricta | Whitethorn Acacia
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
Whitethorn acacia is probably used occasionally for firewood.
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Livestock: Whitethorn acacia is poor forage for livestock. It is
browsed only occasionally in the early spring when the twigs are green,
but is otherwise seldom eaten [14]. Cattle eat small amounts of the
fruit [14,36].
Wildlife: Mule deer eat small amounts of whitethorn acacia leaves,
twigs and fruit [29,31]. Jackrabbits regularly eat the leaves, bark,
and twigs [10,37]. White-throated woodrats eat the flowers and leaves
[10]. Whitethorn acacia seeds are important in the diets of numerous
bird species, especially quail and white-winged doves [20,36]. Several
species of desert rodents eat the seeds [21,27].
PALATABILITY :
The palatability of whitethorn acacia for livestock is poor [14,32].
Palatability of pods is unclear. Humphrey [14] states that the pods are
the most palatable part of the plant and furnish fair forage when green.
Vines [36] states, however, that cattle eat the unpalatable legumes when
nothing else is available.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Nutritional information concerning whitethorn acacia is lacking. The
seeds and pods of other Acacias are high in protein [5].
COVER VALUE :
Whitethorn acacia presumably provides cover for birds and small to
medium sized mammals. Some songbirds probably nest within the branches
and quail may use the plants for roosting sites [35,36]. Plants provide
shade for domestic and wild animals.
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Whitethorn acacia is drought tolerant and may be used for soil
stabilization [32]. Near Tucson, Arizona, seedlings transplanted either
directly onto copper mine tailings or onto overburden exhibited poor to
moderate survival [24].
Seed is not commercially available but may be obtained by harvesting
native plants [32]. Seed collection methods have been detailed [39].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Whitethorn acacia flowers provide an important source of nectar for
honey bees [25]. Native peoples ground the beans into a flour to make
mush, breads and cakes [36].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Whitethorn acacia is an invader of semidesert grasslands and has
increased in density on grazing lands. It is considered a range pest
because it reduces forage for livestock and makes moving and handling
cattle more difficult. Numerous herbicides have been used for brush
control in the Southwest. In general, whitethorn acacia is susceptible
to aerial applications of phenoxy herbicides [30] and tebuthiuron
pellets [4,13]. Mortality from mechanical brush control measures varies
[22].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Acacia constricta | Whitethorn Acacia
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Whitethorn acacia frequently occurs as a 3- to 10-foot-tall (0.9-3 m)
shrub, but may also develop into a small tree up to 19.5 feet (6 m) tall
[3,15]. The brown or reddish-brown twigs contain 0.25 to 1.5 inches
(0.6-3.8 cm) long thorns at the nodes [36]. The leaves are bipinnately
compound with 3 to 6 pair of pinnae per leaf. Yellow or yellow-orange
flowers occur in slender peduncles 0.75 to 1.75 inches (1.9-4.4 cm) long
[36]. The reddish-brown to black legume-type fruits are 2 to 4.75
inches (5-12 cm) long, linear, straight to slightly curved, and
constricted between the seeds [3,36].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Undisturbed State: Phanerophyte (microphanerophyte)
Burned or Clipped State: Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Whitethorn acacia reproduces sexually by producing an abundance of seed.
Some plants sprout from the root crown following damage to the
aboveground portion of the plant [28].
Flowers are pollinated by insects. In general, Acacias begin to produce
seed between 2 and 4 years of age [39]. Several, oblong, mottled,
gray-black seeds are encased within a dehiscent legume-type fruit [3].
Seeds are dispersed by wild and domestic animals which eat the fruit.
The seeds have a hard seed coat and can probably remain viable for
several years [39]. Germination has been reported at 45 percent [36].
Over a 72-year period in desert shrub communities of the Sonoran Desert,
whitethorn acacia seedling establishment was very erratic, with only a
few new individuals appearing during unusually wet years [9]. Cattle
may aid in establishment of new individuals in grasslands, as they eat
the fruits and deposit the seeds in a nutrient-rich dung in grazed areas
[38].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Whitethorn acacia generally inhabits dry slopes and flats, and canyons
and washes within desert shrub and semidesert grassland communities. On
Sonoran Desert uplands, it is largely confined to runnels and washes
[11]. Away from washes, whitethorn acacia occurs as scattered
individuals, such as on the slopes of a bajada. It it is often
restricted to the upper portions of a bajada, where plant-available
moisture is more abundant compared to middle or lower bajada situations
[2].
Soils: Although adapted to a wide range of soil types, whitethorn acacia
is usually found on sandy, gravelly-loam or caliche soils [8,36].
Associated species: Along washes in the Sonoran Desert, associated
shrubs include catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii), velvet mesquite
(Prosopis velutina), blue paloverde (Cercidium floridum), desert willow
(Chilopsis linearis), and canyon ragweed (Franseria ambrosioides) [11].
On dry slopes and flats, and in grasslands it is often associated with
mesquites (Prosopis spp.), creosotebush, tarbush (Flourencia cernua),
catclaw acacia, and desertbroom (Baccharis sarothoides) [8,38].
Elevation: Whitethorn acacia occurs from 1,500 to 6,500 feet (457-1,981
m) but is rarely found above 4,500 feet (1,372 m) [32,36]. Regional
elevational ranges are presented below [1,8,17]:
from 2,500 to 5,000 feet (762-1,524 m) in AZ
below 4,600 feet (1,402 m) Rincon Mtns, AZ
from 3,600 to 5,000 feet (1,097-1,524 m) Guadalupe Escarpment, NM-TX
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Catclaw acacia is an invader of semidesert grasslands. Its density has
increased over the past 100 years, which probably resulted from a
combination of overgrazing, dispersal of seed by livestock, and reduced
fire frequencies [11,38].
Whitethorn acacia is often a member of climax desert shrub communities.
In the Chihuahuan Desert, it often occurs in climax creosotebush-tarbush
communities [23]. In desert shrub communities in the Sonoran Desert
near Tucson, Arizona, whitethorn acacia was found to be a long-lived
(greater than 72 years) species with a low density of mature individuals
[9].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Whitethorn acacia generally flowers from May to September [3]. It does
not produce leaves during the cold winter in the Sonoran Desert, but may
foliate in the spring, summer, or autumn if soil moisture is sufficient
[11].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Acacia constricta | Whitethorn Acacia
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Whitethorn acacia is able to sprout from the root crown following
top-kill by fire [28].
Seed could potentially be transported to burned sites by domestic and
wild animals; however, this has not been documented.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Acacia constricta | Whitethorn Acacia
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Fire generally kills or top-kills whitethorn acacia [28].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Following top-kill by fire, some whitethorn acacia plants survive by
sprouting from their root crown. Following a June wildfire in a desert
shrub community in south-central Arizona, between 31 and 68 percent of
whitethorn acacia plants sprouted [28].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Acacia constricta | Whitethorn Acacia
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Index
Related categories for Species: Acacia constricta
| Whitethorn Acacia
|
 |
