The Huisache is a multi-trunked tree or shrub that can grow up to 15-20 feet. Its spiny branchlets have finely divided light green ferny leaves, each less than 1/4 inch long. It bears small, fragrant, orange-yellow flowers that cluster in globose heads with many protruding stamens per flower. The fruit is a reddish-brown to black woody pod that is rounded, not flat, and tapers at both ends, measuring 1 1/2 to 3 inches long.

The Huisache is extensively planted for southern European perfumes and is named after the Nahuatl language, meaning "many thorns." However, it can form dense thickets from suckers and has small flowers that bloom so early that buds are often ruined by frost in the northern parts of its range. Acacia beetles can also girdle limbs up to 3 inches across. It is alkaline tolerant and casts a soft, filtered light, but it needs to be planted carefully because it has sharp, needle-like thorns on the trunk and branches.