THE REVENGE OF THE OLD HUIZACHE TREE

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

It had been growing there undisturbed along the rear fence of the apartment complex for decades, even before the apartments were built, kind of hidden in the back. 

But then the neighbors across the fence had complained that it's thorny branches and shed leaves were damaging their lawn and that the kids had to wear shoes to keep from getting stuck with the thorns.

They talked the owner into cutting – or maybe just trimming – the offending branches leaning across the fence line.

And so the business-minded owner told his maintenance guys to just do away with the problem altogether and bring the entire tree down.

The workers, who started cutting off the top branches, found that when they tried to get close to the trunk, were stuck by the thorns of the old huizache.

After cutting off the most accessible branches, they decided that they could cut the trunk and avoid the thorns. And so they did. But in their haste to finish the job (it was Friday afternoon), they miscalculated the height of the trunk and the old huizache came down, and snapped the heavy-gauge Public Utility Board electric wires and stripped the light meters against the wall of the apartments.

In an instant, six apartments were left in the dark, with no air conditioning, hot water, or even a stove to heat their food or prepare the baby's formula. And since it was Friday afternoon, no electricians would be available to do the work of repairing the entire wiring and meters to the six apartments. 

The owner said he would give the tenants credit for their food, credit pro rated for the three days it would take an electric company – if he could find one – which had access to the parts to repair the damage and for PUB to inspect and rehook the power lines on Monday to the poles.

It was hard to find someone to do the work, but he had to swallow the fact that it would cost him a pretty penny to have that work done on an emergency basis and the electric company's crew to work through Saturday and Sunday.

But what about the grand old huizache? 

The tree which had withstood hurricanes, droughts, and the woodman was suddenly just a dead trunk lying on the ground. Some of the tenants in its thorny foliage fluttered around lost seeking their sanctuary, and then flew off in search of new nesting sites.

Websites on plants and trees say that the foliage and the pods of the huizache are palatable to livestock and can be used as forage, especially in dry areas like ours.

The seeds are relished by birds, and bugs on its trunk attract wood peckers. 

The flowers provide much appreciated essential oils for perfumes: in France it has been one of the most important acacia species for the French perfume industry in Grasse in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Green pods yield a sticky substance used as a glue and the trunk provides gum that is used as an arabic gum substitute. The bark and pods are useful for dyeing and tanning. 

The wood is used for posts, tools, and furniture it also makes valuable firewood. The tree can be planted as a fence and an ornamental scented species. It can also be useful for erosion control and is has been used along roadsides, highways and parking lots. Huizache provides nesting cover for wildlife.

But to the neighbors and the owner, the old huizache was a bother. Now the electric meter repairs, the PUB inspections, and the credit to the renters have made the removal of that "bother" a costly proposition. 

The old huizache has had its revenge.