Vachellia caven

Vachellia caven (Roman cassie, aromita, aromo criollo, caven, churque, churqui, espinillo, espinillo de baado, espino, espino maulino)^[3] is an ornamental tree in the family Fabaceae. Vachellia caven is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. It grows four to five metres tall and bears very stiff and sharp white thorns up to 2 cm in length. It blooms in spring, with bright yellow flower clusters 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) in diameter.

Vachellia caven
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Caesalpinioideae
Clade:	Mimosoid clade
Genus:	Vachellia
Species:	V. caven
Binomial name
Vachellia caven (Molina) Seigler & Ebinger[1]
Varieties[2]
Vachellia caven var. caven Vachellia caven var. dehiscens Ciald. Vachellia caven var. microcarpa (Speg.) Ciald. Vachellia caven var. stenocarpa (Speg.) Ciald.
Range of Vachellia caven
Synonyms
Acacia caven (Molina) Molina Acacia cavenia (Molina) Hook. & Arn. Mimosa caven Molina Mimosa cavenia Molina[3]

Ecology

Prominent occurrences of V. caven are within the Chilean matorral of central Chile, where the species is a common associate of the Chilean Wine Palm, Jubaea chilensis.^[4]

The flowers of V. caven are used as food for bees in the production of honey.^[5]

Uses

Human consumption

The seeds of this tree can be roasted and used to brew a drink in a similar way to coffee seeds.

Erosion control

The tree is used for erosion control.^[5]

Ornamental tree

The tree has ornamental uses.^[5]

Industrial

Tannin from the seed pods is used for tanning hides.^[6] The wood is used as fuel and to make posts for fences. The chief current human use for V. caven is in the production of charcoal.^[5]

The flowers are used in perfume.^[5][6]