Mimosaceae - Thorn-Tree family
SA Tree no 163
Normally occurring in low altitude woodland and on brackish flats. It has a single, crooked trunk, growing up to 12 m in height and is a low-branching thorn tree with typical Acacia leaves, flowers, pods and hooked thorns.
Prominent white twigs are visible through the foliage. The bark is coarse and fissured, light grey in colour, with yellow grooves that run lengthwise. (smooth, mottled grey-green and brown, or dark and rough??)
Links with animals - This is the favourite food of the giraffe.
Human uses - none
Gardening - This is not an attractive garden plant, and would need specific clay soils to grow well. It is a slow growing tree, but can be grown from seed. While is is fairly drought resistant, it is sensitive to low temperatures.
Leaves - Compound, with a pair of leaflets at the top of each feather, opposite, elliptic with a smooth margin. Medium to big for an Acacia. (2 - 5 feather pairs, 40 mm;
8 pairs of leaflets each 7 x 4 mm) Apex rounded or even slightly notched, base almost syminetric. Petiole with a conspicuous gland near the base.
Flowers - White flowers spikes are normally only visible at the top of the canopy from November to January. (70 x 10 mm)
Pods - Narrow, long, flat, bean-like pods change from deep wine-red to purple-green and finally to brown-black when ripe. They are usually only visible at the top of the tree, as those lower down are eaten. Ripening time is late autumn and winter, March to July. (80 - 110 mm)
Thorns - Pairs of hooked, dark thorns are fairly close to one another.
Best places to see the Delagoa Thorn in Southern Africa:
The Delagoa Thorn is found in the Kruger National Park in the Delagoa Thorn Thickets ecozone.
 Tree species of Southern Africa >> Printable Tree List <<
South African Trees >> Printable Tree List <<
The Plant Kingdom (Plantae)
Wildlife - Fauna & Flora of Southern Africa
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