Berlandier acacia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Berlandier acacia |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Senegalia
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| Species: |
berlandieri
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| Range of Senegalia berlandieri | |
| Synonyms | |
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Acacia berlandieri Benth. |
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Senegalia berlandieri (Berlandier acacia, guajillo acacia, guajillo, huajillo, huajilla) is a shrub native to the Southwestern United States and northeast Mexico that belongs to the Mimosoid clade of Fabaceae. It grows 1 to 5 metres (3.3 to 16.4 ft) tall, with blossoms that are spherical and white, occurring from February through April. The berlandieri epithet comes from the name of Jean-Louis Berlandier, a French naturalist who studied wildlife native to Texas and Mexico. S. berlandieri contains a wide variety of alkaloids and has been known to cause toxic reactions in domestic animals such as goats.
Uses
Senegalia berlandieri is toxic to livestock and thus should not be used as forage or fodder.
Alkaloids
Senegalia berlandieri contains a number of diverse alkaloids, the most plentiful of which are N-methylphenethylamine, tyramine, and phenethylamine. The total alkaloid content in dried leaves has been reported to be in the range 0.28-0.66%. In a recent study, researchers identified thirty-one alkaloids in samples of plant foliage, including trace amounts of four amphetamines previously known only from laboratory synthesis: amphetamine, methamphetamine, para-hydroxyamphetamine and para-methoxyamphetamine. Other trace alkaloids include nicotine, and mescaline (found in many cacti but infrequently in other plants). The same group of researchers later reported finding most of the same alkaloids in A. rigidula, a related species also native to the Southwestern U.S. There are no reports in the literature of these findings having been repeated, however, leading to the suggestion that they resulted from cross-contamination or were possibly artifacts of the analytical technique.
Gallery
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Senegalia berlandieri foliage and flowers
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Senegalia berlandieri tree
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Senegalia berlandieri bark
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Senegalia berlandieri flowers and seed pods
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Senegalia berlandieri seeds
See also
In Spanish: Acacia berlandieri para niños
