Vachellia pseudofistula (Harms) Kyal. & Boatwr.

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

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or small “columnar” tree 1.8–6(–9) m. high, with horizontal branches all the way up the 1–3 main stems; bark red-brown.

Morphology Branches

Young branchlets grey-puberulous or pubescent; then epidermis flaking away to expose rusty-red, powdery inner bark (but see note below).

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules spinescent, long, straight, whitish, about 2–5(–9) cm. long, some fused at base into round, blackish “ant-galls” up to 2.5(–3) cm. in diameter.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves with grey, inconspicuous puberulence on the 2–4 mm. long petiole and the 2–10 cm. long rhachis; pinnae of well-developed leaves of mature shoots 15–22 pairs (reduced leaves with fewer pairs usually also present), 1–3 cm. long; leaflets very numerous, 1.5–4.5 mm. long, 0.75–1 mm. wide, acute or subacute at apex, ciliolate near base or glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers creamy-white, in heads; involucel at base of the tomentellous to densely puberulous, nearly or quite eglandular, 0.75–1 mm. thick peduncle.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 1.75–2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla glabrous, or slightly puberulous only near apex outside, 4–5 mm. long, 2–3 times as long as calyx.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods (Fig. 16/49, p. 67) falcate, grey-puberulous, acute at both ends, 2–8 cm. long, 0.4–1.0 cm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds grey, smooth, elliptic with an irregular outline, compressed, often curved, 9–11 mm. long, 4–6 mm. wide; areole 6–7 mm. long, 3 mm. wide.

Habitat

Shrub or dwarf-tree grassland, locally gregarious and abundant in black soils of valleys; 900–1500 m.

Distribution

not known elsewhere T4 T5 T7