Mariosousa is a genus of 13 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Members of this genus were formerly considered to belong to the genus Acacia.
Restricted in range to Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, members of the genus are trees or shrubs bearing alternate, bipinnately compound leavesâÂÂeach with a swelling at the base of the petioleâÂÂand white- to cream- or yellow-colored flowers. The flowers are typically borne in elongated, bottle brushâÂÂlike spikes. The fruits that later replace these flowers are markedly flattened pods.
The genus Mariosousa comprises the following species:
Mariosousa willardiana is considered a synonym of Mariosousa heterophylla.