Acacia amethythophylla

Acacia amythethophylla A. Rich. (Acacia macrothyrsa Harms)

Common names

Large leaved Acacia; chifu (Bemba); chirima, chinyanjuwe, mpalankanga, chipeta, nafungwe, chitongololo (Nyanja).

The Latin specific name refers to the large number of leaflets.

General description and distinguishing characteristics

A small tree or bushy shrub 2-15 m high but often much smaller in the valley (1-2 m). Bark rough, grey and fissured. Thorns are straight, spinescent, up to 1.5 cm long (occasionally up to 5.5 cm). Leaves compound, large 10-20 cm wide and 10-37 cm long; with 9-16 (27) pairs of pinnae, each bearing 12-70 pairs of leaflets. Leaflets 4-11 x 1-3.5 mm. Flowers orange or yellow, spherical heads 8-13 mm in diameter in a panicle up to 45 x 30 cm (December-March). Fruits are black, blackish purple or brown pods, 7-20 cm x 1.5-2.5 cm, leathery to glossy, oblong shaped, straight (May-August).

Acacia amythethophylla can be mistaken for Peltophorum africanum in leaf, but Peltophorum has no thorns.

Range and habitat

Acacia amythethophylla is found throughout tropical Africa from Ghana across to Sudan and southwards to Zambia and Zimbabwe. In the valley it is found in the Combretum-Terminalia-Diospyros wooded grassland of the foothills of the Muchingas.