A close look at some huisache flower globes

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In contrast to the last view of a huisache, Acacia farnesiana, with a galaxy of flowers spread across it, here’s a close look at a few of the tree’s little flower globes. The typical diameter of a fully formed globe is from one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch (6mm–9mm). The flowers are very fragrant, but I still haven’t found a way to send you the scent over the Internet.

Like the previous picture, this one is from E. 51st St. on March 27th.

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman

Huisache tree flowering away

The yellow-orange that you saw peeking through from beyond the pink redbud blossoms in yesterday’s March 27th photograph came not from the developing leaves of the redbud (which were there, though inconspicuous) but from the flowers on a huisache* tree, Acacia farnesiana, that loomed over the redbud. The combination of the two types of flowers, different in color and form, is what caught my attention.

There are perhaps a dozen huisache trees along E. 51st St., and I was glad to see them flowering on March 27th because late freezes (or something else) in the early spring of 2014 had kept all the huisaches in Austin from blooming last year. Huisaches typically grow tall and wide, so the thousands of flowers you see in this photograph were on a single tree.

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* The Spanish word huisache is pronounced somewhat like we-sah-chay would be in English, with stress on the middle syllable.

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman