Shrub or more usually a tree 3-15 m high; crown flat, umbrella-shaped or irregular; bark on trunk grey, blackish-brown or black, rough, fissured; young branchlets ± densely grey-pubescent, rarely glabrous or nearly so, epidermis usually splitting or falling away to expose a rusty-red inner layer. Stipules spinescent, usually straight or nearly so, sometimes recurved, rarely hooked, mostly short, to c. 1 cm. long, rarely to c. 6.5 cm long and then usually grey; “ant-galls” and other prickles absent. Leaves: rhachis (1.5)2-7 cm long, ± densely pubescent; pinnae (3)5-10(12) pairs; leaflets (8)12-23(28) pairs, 3-7.5 x 1-2 mm, ± ciliate on the margins, at least near the base, otherwise glabrous or nearly so, sometimes hairy on the surface. Flowers white or cream, scented, in heads on axillary densely grey-pubescent eglandular or inconspicuously glandular, occasionally strongly glandular peduncles; involucel at or shortly above the base or sometimes to 1/3-way up the peduncle. Corolla glabrous or only slightly and inconspicuously pubescent outside. Pods dehiscent, (4.5)7-16(22) x 0.6-1.1(1.7) cm, falcate, linear or linear-oblong; valves rather thin, ± grey-puberulous to-tomentellous, rarely subglabrous or glabrous. Seeds olive-brown, 9-12 x 7 mm, smooth, ± irregularly quadrate, compressed; areole 6.5-7 x 3.5-4.5 mm.
More
A small tree. It grows up to 15 m tall. It has a flattened crown. The bark is rough and dark grey. It has very short thorns. They are in pairs. The leaves are divided twice. There are 5-12 pairs of larger leaflets and 12-18 pairs of small leaflets. The flowers are in round heads and are cream coloured. The fruit are brown pods. The pods are 22 cm long and slightly curved. The pods are about 2 cm across. They occur in clusters. There are 3 recognised varieties.
It is a tropical plant. It grows at 1,300-2,000 m altitude in Uganda. It can grow in arid and semi-arid areas.
Home