Vachellia burttii (Baker f.) Kyal. & Boatwr.

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit

Altogether glabrous shrub or small tree 2–3 m. high with pole-like stem and short lateral branches giving plant a columnar appearance; bark buff or fawn.

Morphology Branches

Young branchlets pale grey, sometimes going brown; epidermis flaking away later to expose a powdery rusty-brown inner layer.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules spinescent, mostly 1.5–3.5(–5.5) cm. long, straight, mostly grey or whitish, some fused at base into round or ovoid “ant-galls” 1–2.5 cm. in diameter, which are purplish going black and characteristically spotted or flecked.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves:petiole 3–13 mm. long, frequently glandular at apex; rhachis 0–3.2 cm. long; pinnae 1–4 pairs, 2–4.5 cm. long; leaflets 7–16 pairs, acute or subacute and mucronate at apex, (4–)5–13(–17) mm. long, 1.5–4 (–6) mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers creamy-white, in heads; involucel at base of peduncle.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 1.75–3 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 4.5–5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods (Fig. 17/54, p. 68) short, half-moon-shaped or reniform, flattened, thin, glabrous, finely net-veined, grey-brown, 1.5–4 cm. long, 1–1.7 cm. wide, one-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds grey, mottled with dark brown, smooth, subcircular or broadly elliptic, compressed, 9–11 mm. long, 8.5–9 mm. wide; areole 5–7 mm. long, 4–6 mm. wide.

Habitat

Shrub or dwarf-tree grassland; gregarious on brown or black clay soil in valleys in Brachystegia country; 1130–1220 m.

Distribution

T1 T4 not known elsewhere