Acacia stenophylla (Shoe-string acacia)

Acacia stenophylla A. Cunn. ex Benth.

Shoe-string acacia, pencil leaf acacia

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fabales	Legumes (pea and bean families)
Family	Fabaceae	Legume family (peas and beans)
Genus	Acacia	Thorny shrubs or trees
Species	stenophylla	Means “narrow-leaved”

About plant names...

Shoestring acacia is an Australian native. They were introduced to the American southwest in the 1900s. They are arid climate trees that are drought tolerant, once established. The timber is used for furniture.

Plants: They may appear as rounded, multistemmed shrubs, or grow to trees 13-66' (4-20 m) in height. They are evergreens, with grayish-brown to blackish bark.

Leaves: Leaves, or more properly, leaf stems called phyllodes appear as stringy straplike green things resembling stretched out beans, hence the common names “shoestring” and “pencil leaf” acacia. These “leaves” are 6-16" (15-40 cm) long and ¹/₁₆-⅜" (2-10 mm) wide. They are slightly rough in texture, with multiple parallel veins.

Flowers: racemes have three to five heads, with creamy-white to pale yellow flowers. Each flower is ball-shaped, ⅛-¼" (6-9 mm) in diameter.

Fruits: Fruits are strings of leathery pods up to 10" (26 cm) long, with elliptic seeds ¼-⁵/₁₆" (7-9 mm) long, like pale green beads. They become dark brown.

Online References:

Acacia stenophylla on apps.cals.arizona.edu

Acacia stenophylla on Wikipedia

Acacia stenophylla at the Australian Native Plants Nursery

Acacia stenophylla description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 28 Aug 2021.

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland
≈ 9 × 14" (23 × 35 cm)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland
≈ 12 × 17" (29 × 44 cm)

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland
≈ 13 × 20" (34 × 51 cm)