Mariosousa heterophylla

Mariosousa heterophylla
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Mariosousa
Species:
M. heterophylla
Binomial name
Mariosousa heterophylla
(Rose) Seigler & Ebinger
Synonyms
  • Acacia willardiana Rose 1890
  • Mariosousa willardiana (Rose 1890) Seigler & Ebinger 2006
  • Prosopis heterophylla Benth. 1846
  • Senegalia heterophylla (Benth. 1846) Britton & Rose 1928

Mariosousa heterophylla, also called the palo blanco tree (which is also applied to Ipomoea arborescens), palo liso, guinola, and Willard acacia, is a normally evergreen mimosoid plant in the genus Mariosousa native to Mexico. The Spanish common name translates into 'white stick', defining its peeling white bark. A compound called willardiine, that acts as an agonist in glutamate receptors, can be isolated from M. heterophylla.