About Vachellia caven (Molina) Seigler & Ebinger
Vachellia caven, which has common names including Roman cassie, aromita, aromo criollo, caven, churque, churqui, espinillo, espinillo de baado, espino, and espino maulino, is an ornamental tree in the legume family Fabaceae. This species is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Mature trees reach a height of four to five meters, and produce very stiff, sharp white thorns that can grow up to 2 centimeters in length. It blooms during the spring season, forming bright yellow flower clusters with diameters between 1 and 2 centimeters (0.39 to 0.79 inches). Prominent populations of Vachellia caven are found in the Chilean matorral of central Chile. In this habitat, the species is a very common associated plant growing alongside the Chilean Wine Palm, Jubaea chilensis. The flowers of Vachellia caven are used as a food source for bees to produce honey.
