Shrubs or trees, bushy, to 10 m; bark light brown to reddish brown, smooth. Stems not flex­uous, glabrous, not gluti­nous; short shoots usually absent. Leaves 7–70 mm; stip­ular spines terete to elliptic, straight, 0.7–1.5(–4.5) × 0.4–1.4 mm near base; petiole 6–15 mm, glabrous; petiolar gland 1, just below lowermost pin­nae, short-stalked or sessile, circular, 0.2–0.6 mm diam., apex globose; rachis 0–60 mm; pinnae 1–3(or 4) pairs, 35–60 mm; leaflets 4–8 pairs per pinna, blades flat, elliptic to obovate, 16–28 × 5–15 mm, base acute to obtuse, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous. Peduncles 22–35(–55) mm. Inflorescences globose heads, densely flowered, 6–8 mm diam., solitary or clusters of 2–13 in leaf axils, or clusters on leafless axillary shoots; involucre at base of head. Flowers yellow; calyx 1–1.6 mm, glabrous; corolla 1.6–2.1 mm, glabrous; filaments yellow, 2.7–3.2 mm. Legumes oblong, elliptic in cross section, 40–100 × 14–23 mm, not constricted between seeds. Seeds uniseriate. 2n = 26.

Phenology: Flowering Jan–Jun.
Habitat: Moist, disturbed sites, open woods, coppices and pine barrens on limestone soils.
Elevation: 0–10 m.

Distribution

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Fla., West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba, Turks and Caicos Islands).

Discussion

Vachellia choriophylla is known from Miami-Dade and Monroe counties and is reported as spontaneous from Key Largo.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.