Vachellia sphaerocephala

Vachellia sphaerocephala
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Vachellia
Species:
V. sphaerocephala
Binomial name
Vachellia sphaerocephala
(Schltdl. & Cham.) Seigler & Ebinger[1]
Synonyms
  • Acacia sphaerocephala Schltdl. & Cham.

Vachellia sphaerocephala, the bull's horn thorn or bee wattle, is a plant species in the family Fabaceae. The name comes from the shape of the thorns which do indeed resemble the horns of a bull. The tree has a strong, symbiotic relationship with a species of stinging ant, Pseudomyrmex ferruginea.[2] This tree is endemic to Mexico.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Seigler DS, Ebinger JE. (2005). "New combinations in the genus Vachellia (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) from the New World". Phytologia. 87 (3): 139–78.
  2. ^ Whitney. H.M. and B.J. Glover. 2007. Coevolution: Plant–Insect. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, 1–7
  3. ^ Encyclopedia of Life