Acacia berlandieri is a shrub native to the Southwestern United States and northeast Mexico that belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae of legumes. It grows 3.3 to 16 feet tall, with blossoms that are spherical and white, blooming from February through April. The berlandieri epithet comes from the name of Jean-Louis Berlandier, a French naturalist who studied wildlife native to Texas and Mexico. Acacia berlandieri contains a wide variety of alkaloids, including 5 amphetamines. It has been known to cause toxic reactions in domestic animals.
The total alkaloid content in dried leaves has been reported to be in the range 0.28-0.66 percent. In a recent study, researchers identified thirty-one alkaloids in samples of plant foliage, including trace amounts of four amphetamines previously known only from laboratory synthesis: amphetamine, methamphetamine, para-hydroxyamphetamine and para-methoxyamphetamine. Other trace alkaloids include nicotine and mescaline.