| Mariosousa heterophylla | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Mariosousa |
| Species: | M. heterophylla |
| Binomial name | |
| Mariosousa heterophylla (Rose) Seigler & Ebinger | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Mariosousa heterophylla, also called the palo blanco tree (which is also applied to Ipomoea arborescens), palo liso, guinola, and Willard acacia, is a normally evergreen mimosoid plant in the genus Mariosousa native to Mexico. The Spanish common name translates into 'white stick', defining its peeling white bark. A compound called willardiine, that acts as an agonist in glutamate receptors, can be isolated from M. heterophylla.
Description
It can grow 10–20 ft or more with a spread of 1⁄3 to 2⁄3 the height. It is a very slender tree with few branches as well as leaves. The petiolar-rachis is characteristically long and functions as a cladophyll. it has a white or yellow-colored peeling off bark. The leaves have 5–6 leaflets in the end. It may drop leaves in autumn and winter. The flowers are like catkins, rod or bottle-brush-like, white or light yellow in color. The pods are multichambered, and 3–4 in long specimens. The flowers occur in pale yellow spikes.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is endemic to Sonora (Sonoran Desert), Mexico. It prefers rocky bajdas, slopes and arroyos from 0 to 2,000 feet elevation. It is a popular ornamental tree in arid areas, especially in the southwestern U.S.
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The peeling white bark of Mariosousa heterophylla
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References
- ^ Seigler DS; Ebinger JE (2018). "New Combinations in Parasenegalia and Mariosousa (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae)" (PDF). Phytologia. 100 (4): 256–259.
- Seigler DS, Ebinger JE, Miller JT (2006). "Mariosousa, a New Segregate Genus from Acacia s.l. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) from Central and North America". Novon. 16 (3): 413–420. doi:10.3417/1055-3177(2006)16[413:MANSGF]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 86112681.
- Phillips, S. J.; Patricia Wentworth Comus (2000). A natural history of the Sonoran Desert (PDF). Arizona: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press. p. 230. ISBN 0-520-21980-5.
- Dimmitt, M. A. "Acacia willardiana". Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. ASDM Sonoran Desert Museum Digital Library.
- Klaassen, C. D.; John Barr Watkins (2010). "Toxic Agents" (PDF). Casarett and Doull's essentials of toxicology. USA: McGraw-Hill Prof Med/Tech. p. 374. ISBN 978-0-07-176651-7.
- Atta-ur- Rahman (2000). "Interference of Alkaloids" (PDF). Bioactive Natural Products (Part B), Part 2. Amsterdam: Alsevier Science B. V. p. 72. ISBN 9780080542010.
- Moore, Tony. "Acacia willardia, Palo blanco, Fabaceae Family". Government of Arizona. Archived from the original on 2002-09-18. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- Jaeger, E. C. (1957). The North American deserts (PDF). California: Stanford University Press. p. 256. ISBN 0-8047-0498-8.
Acacia willardiana.
- "Acacia willardiana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- "Great Design Plant: Palo Blanco Softens Sharp Desert Angles". Houzz. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
Media related to Acacia willardiana at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Mariosousa heterophylla at Wikispecies
