Acacia paradoxa

Kangaroo thorn

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Kangaroo thorn is a naturalized shrub found in coastal California regions including central and southern coastal areas, typically in plantings and occasionally spreading to disturbed areas at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from January to March, this shrub produces bright yellow flowers in small, stalked heads. Growing as a small shrub up to 4 meters tall with distinctively angled, densely hairy twigs and sharp stipular spines less than 12 millimeters long. Its simple leaves are lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 1 to 2 centimeters long with wavy margins and a sharply pointed tip. The fruit is a light brown, slightly papery pod 3 to 6 centimeters long, covered in soft hairs.

Habitat: Plantings, occasionally spreading to other disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jan-Mar

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: CCo, SCo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.