Acacia senegal

Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. var. leiorhachis Brenan

Common names

Three-thorned Acacia (English)

General description and distinguishing characteristics

A small, spindly tree or shrub (3-8 m high). Bark yellowish and peeling; young branchlets grey to purple and smooth. The thorns are dark brown, curved and in threes, with two pointing up and one pointing down. Leaves compound, 6 cm long with 3-5 pairs of pinnae, each bearing 7-15 pairs of green leaflets. Leaflets 4-7 x 1.5-2 mm. Flowers in axillary white spikes up to 8 cm long (June-September). Fruits are papery to leathery dehiscent pods, flattened, tapered at both ends, 4.5-7 x 2-3 cm, and light brown (November-April).

Range and habitat

Acacia senegal var. leiorachis occurs from Ethiopia and Kenya southwards into Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and northern South Africa. It is a somewhat weedy species, and may have been introduced to the valley by people. It has been recorded on the Miliyoti road in Nsefu sector.