Senegalia rugata (Lam.) Britton & Rose

Woody climber. Branchlets with patchy or sparsely distributed long weak crisped hairs, occasionally glabrous, with wide ribs and scattered, robust, recurved prickles up to 2 mm long along the ribs. Leaves bipinnate: petiole 1.5–3.5 cm long, with an elliptic gland at about the middle; rachis (4–) 5–10 cm long, with scattered abaxial prickles on some leaves, gland present at base of uppermost pair of pinnae; pinnae 4–6 pairs, 3–7 cm long; leaflets 12–24 pairs per pinna, 6.5–9 mm long, 1.8–2.5 mm wide, oblong, ±obtuse, mucronulate, asymmetrically truncate at base, midrib oblique (arising at leading edge of leaflet and extending to about the middle of the leaflet at the apex), 3 or 4 lateral veins with distinct reticulum between them, with sparse long loose hairs on both surfaces or hairs confined to margins. Inflorescences single or in 2’s or 3’s in upper axils, the subtending leaves often not developing and heads forming a raceme or panicle; heads globular, 30–40-flowered, cream to pale yellow; peduncles 1.5–3 cm long, indumentum similar to that of branchlets; buds red or purplish red, open flowers cream. Flowers 5-merous, sessile; calyx 1.5–3 mm long, shortly lobed, glabrous; corolla 2.5–3 mm long, lobed to about level of the calyx. Pods and seeds not seen.

Rain forest, disturbed forest, open grassland, fields, creek sides, in open areas often a sprawling shrub; also recorded from limestone; at elevations from 50-1050 metres.

The leaves are cooked. They are acid and added to soups and chutneys.

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.