Mimosaceae - thorn-tree family
SA Tree no 188
It characteristically has a dense compact, umbrella-like crown, and is a fairly low-branching, usually single-stemmed, smallish tree. The leaves are amongst the smallest of the Acacia leaves, giving the tree a fine, feathery appearance, with characteristic tightly curled pods. While not always prominent, the straight and hooked thorns help to identify the tree. The bark is grey and deeply fissured in older trees. They grow to a height between3 - 20 m, and have a moderate density.
Links with Animals - The leaves are browsed by cattle, antelope and giraffe. The pods are high in protein and are a favourite with all antelope, giraffe, monkey and baboon.
Human uses - The wood is used as fuel.
Gardening - The tree grows well in most of the warmer climates, in well-watered clay soil. It is a very attractive shade tree in the indigenous garden, can be easily grown from seed and is drought-resistant.
Leaves - Twice compound, opposite, elliptic, with a smooth margin. The leaves are very small and grouped in nodes. They are bluish-grey-green in colour; with 2 -10 pairs of pinnae, each bearing 6-19 pairs of very small, closely ranked leaflets, making the densely leafy.(Leaf; 25 mm; leaflet:1 - 2 mm; feather:13 with 19 leaflets)
Thorns - The white thorns, with a dark base and red tip, are not always obvious. Pairs of hooked and straight thorns are arranged spirally around the branchlets. Sometimes hooked or straight thorns may also form pairs on the same tree.(Straight thorn: 50 mm; hooked thorn: 3 - 5 mm)
Flowers and Pods - Large numbers of white, ball-like flowers grow on old twigs, Flowers are sweet-scented and normally appear just after rain in November and December (7 mm), and the pods are flat, bean-like and curled up in a tight circle and hang in bunches. The ripen during May and June. (8 mm wide; length of pod: 125 mm )
Best places to see the Umbrella Thorn in Southern Africa:
The Umbrella Thorn is found in the Kruger National Park in the Mixed Bushwillow Woodlands, Thorn Veld, Alluvial Plains, Knob Thorn / Marula Savannah, Olifants Rugged Veld, Malelane Mountain Bushveld, Delagoa Thorn Thickets, Stunted Knob Thorn Savannah, Tree Mopane Savannah, Sabie Crocodile Thorn Thickets, Mopane Scrubveld & Mopane / Bushwillow Woodlands ecozones.
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The Plant Kingdom (Plantae)
Wildlife - Fauna & Flora of Southern Africa
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