Acacia willardiana
Common: Palo blanco, White-barked acacia
Family: Fabaceae
Origin: Australia
Sunset Zone: 8, 9, 12-24
Light: Partial to full sun
Soil: Well drained
Water: Drought tolerant
Small residential tree, accent, roadway median tree. Small, slender, erect, multi-trunked tree. Pendulous, wispy willow-like branching pattern. Slow to moderate growth, 20-25 feet tall, usually taller than wide.
Medium texture, green compound leaves, pendulous philos, white rough trunk. Small creamy white puff ball flowers in spring, followed by dark brown 3 to 8 inch long seed pods over the summer.
Prune low hanging branches and to shape if desired. Propagation by seed. No diseases or pests. Found on rocky hillsides in Sonora, Mexico and was recently introduced into southwest landscapes.
Canopy even on fairly mature tree is almost transparent, providing very little shade. Form and texture of this tree can be enhanced by uplighting at night or when planting against a contrasting background.