Vachellia abyssinica

Flat Top Acacia (Vachellia abyssinica)
Vachellia abyssinica
An Umbrella Acacia (Vachellia tortilis), right, and a Flat Top Acacia (Vachellia abyssinica), left.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Vachellia
Species: V. abyssinica
Binomial name
Vachellia abyssinica
(Hochst. ex. Benth.) Kyal. & Boatwr.[1]
subspecies
  • Vachellia abyssinica subsp. abyssinica (Hochst. ex. Benth.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
  • Vachellia abyssinica subsp. calophylla (Brenan) Kyal. & Boatwr.
Synonyms
  • Acacia abyssinica Hochst. ex Benth.

Vachellia abyssinica (flat top acacia) is a tree up to 16 m tall. Its bark is reddish-brown on older trees. On younger trees it is pale yellowish-brown, peeling off in papery wads. Young twigs are softly hairy. Thorns are aligned in straight pairs at nodes. Leaves are in pinnae pairs of 20-40; the leaflets are very small, up to 4 × 0.75 mm. The inflorescence is arranged in white spherical heads. The involucel is located in the lower half of the peduncle. Seed pods are dehiscent.[2]

Distribution

From Ethiopia southwards to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Kyalangalilwa B, Boatwright JS, Daru BH, Maurin O, van der Bank M (2013). "Phylogenetic position and revised classification of Acacia s.l. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in Africa, including new combinations in Vachellia and Senegalia". Bot J Linn Soc. 172 (4): 500–523. doi:10.1111/boj.12047.
  2. 1 2 Encyclopedia of Life. "Details for: Vachellia abyssinica (as Acacia abyssinica)". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
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