Vachellia erioloba (E.Mey.) P.J.H.Hurter

Tree up to 15 m high or less frequently a shrub to 4 m high; trunk to 1 m in diam.; crown rounded, the branches often drooping somewhat, or flattened and spreading. Bark dark greyish-brown to blackish, rough, fissured, often flaking off in thick ± woody sections when old; young branchlets pale to dark grey-or reddish-brown to purple, sometimes as though whitewashed over a purplish background, often flaking minutely, glabrous or subglabrous, seldom pubescent. Stipules spinescent, in pairs, 0.5-5(10) cm long, usually rather stout, often thickened below and fused together basally into an enlarged 'ant-gall', 1.5-2 x 2-2.5 cm, sometimes furrowed down the middle, tapering to a sharp point apically; other prickles absent. Leaves: petiole 0.4-1.4 cm long, adaxial gland absent; rhachis (0)1-3.5(5.5) cm long, glabrous or subglabrous, a small gland at the junction of each pinna pair; pinnae (1)2-5(6) pairs; rhachillae (1.3)1.6-3.2(4.2) cm long, glabrous or subglabrous; leaflets (6)8-15(18) pairs per pinna, 4-11.5 x (0.7)1.4-2.4(4) mm, linear-oblong to narrowly obovate, oblique basally, apex rounded to subacute, glabrous throughout or sometimes marginal cilia present, rarely pubescent below, lateral nerves prominent and conspicuous above and beneath. Inflorescences capitate, on axillary peduncles, solitary or fascicled, scattered along the shoots. Flowers bright golden-yellow, sessile or shortly pedicellate, (sometimes some flowers are male only); peduncles (1.8)2.3-4(5.5) cm long, glabrous or subglabrous, eglandular; involucel apical. Calyx glabrous, sometimes apices of lobes with few glandular hairs, tube 1.5-2.2 mm long, lobes up to 0.6 mm long. Corolla glabrous or apices of lobes with glandular hairs, 2.7-3.6 mm long, lobes sometimes free for most of their length. Stamen-filaments free or connate into groups basally, up to 7.5 mm long; anthers with a deciduous apical gland. Ovary 1.2-2 mm long, sessile or shortly stipitate, glabrous at first but soon becoming pubescent. Pods densely grey-velutinous all over, with numerous minute dark reddish-brown to purplish glands particularly when young, (4)6-13 cm long, 1.8-5 cm wide, 0.8-2 cm thick, indehiscent, semi-woody, frequently semi-lunate to suborbicular, sometimes curled almost into a circle, apex rounded to acute or beaked, spongy within, seeds irregularly scattered but separated by transverse partitions. Seeds dark reddish-brown, 8-14 x 7-10 mm, lenticular to elliptic, sometimes scarcely compressed; areole 3-9 x 2-5.5 mm.

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in dry woodland and arid stony areas. It grows in hot arid places. It can tolerate dry conditions and frost. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 40-900 mm. It grows between 120-1,675 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.

The gum is eaten. It has an acrid taste. The roasted seed can be used as a substitute for coffee. The fruit pulp is eaten as a famine food.

Plants can be grown from seeds. The seeds are put into boiling water and soaked for 24 hours. They are then dried and planted 2 cm deep. It has a long taproot so is difficult to transplant. Plants need watering when young.