Acacia galpinii

Acacia galpinii Burtt Davy

Common names

Monkey thorn (English);

The Latin specific name refers to the South African botanist Ernest Edward Galpin (1854-1941) who collected the first scientific specimen of this species in South Africa in 1920 (Timberlake et al., 1999).

General description and distinguishing characteristics

Large tree up to 30 m high but usually 15-20 m. Bark light grey to light grey-brown, flaking with a yellowish underbark. Branchlets smooth but furrowed. Thorns are hooked, up to 1 cm long, with a swollen base, and occur in pairs just below the leaf nodes. Leaves compound, each rachis up to 15 cm long with 6-13 pairs of pinnae, each bearing 30-40 pairs of leaflets; Leaflets 7-8 x 2 mm. Petiole has a small, prominent cup-shaped gland half way up its length. Flowers creamy white, scented spikes 8 cm long or more with a reddish tinge (appearing before the leaves in August-September). Fruit a large, woody but brittle, purple-brown dehiscent pod 10-25 x 2-3 cm (August-September).

Acacia galpinii can be confused with Acacia polyacantha but the latter has 15-30 pairs of pinnae, and its petiole gland is at the base of the petiole, not halfway up as with A. galpinii.

Range and habitat

Acacia galpinii occurs throughout the Flora Zambesiaca region, and extends further southwards into South Africa and north into DR Congo and Tanzania. In the Luangwa valley, it is found in riverine fringe woodland and mixed alluvial thicket.