Vachellia cornigera (L.) Seigler & Ebinger

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Vachellia cornigera, commonly known as bullhorn acacia (family Fabaceae), is a swollen-thorn tree and myrmecophyte native to Mexico and Central America. The common name of "bullhorn" refers to the enlarged, hollowed-out, swollen thorns (technically called stipular spines) that occur in pairs at the base of leaves, and resemble the horns of a steer. In Yucatán (one region where the bullhorn acacia thrives) it is called "subín", in Panama the locals call them "cachito" (little horn). The trees are commonly found in wet lowlands

Morphology

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Bullhorn acacias are often found as 10 metres (33 ft) trees. Their bark is gray to brown in color and has small furrows. The new growth of the branches is a reddish brown color and is covered in a pubescence, or a covering of small hairs. The leaves are alternate with a pair of stipular spines where the leaf connects to the branch. The spines can vary widely in color from brown, red, and yellow. The spines are home to ants that protect the plant from herbivory. Beltian bodies can be found at the tips of the leaves. They are full of fats and sugars that feed the ants. The tree also produces carbohydrate-rich nectar from glands on its leaf stalk. This type of relationship is called myrmecophily.

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