Home | > | List of families | > | Fabaceae subfamily Mimosoideae | > | Acacia | > | erioloba |
Synonyms: |
Acacia giraffae Willd. Vachellia erioloba (E. Mey.) P.J.H. Hurter |
Common names: | Camel thorn (English) |
Frequency: | Locally common |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Often a medium to large spreading tree, remaining green throughout most of the dry season. Bark rough, dark and fissured; young branches distinctly zigzag. Thorns paired at the nodes, whitish, straight and stout, often swollen at the base. Leaves bipinnate with 2-5 pairs of pinnae; leaflets somewhat blue-green. Glands are present on the rhachis but not on the petiole. Flowers in spherical golden-yellow heads. Pods woody, distinctly kidney or crescent shaped, covered in grey velvet, greatly relished by both game and lifestock. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | |
Habitat: | In sandy or stony soils in dry savannah woodland. In Zimbabwe it is a common constituent of the western Kalahari sands. |
Altitude range: (metres) | 900 - 1200 m |
Flowering time: | Sep - Oct |
Worldwide distribution: | Southern Angola, Southwest Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | W,C,S |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Thursday 15 December 2005 |
Literature: |
Brenan, J.P.M. (1970). Mimosoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(1) Page 93. as Acacia giraffae Curtis, B.A. & Mannheimer, C.A. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia National Botanic Research Institute, Windhoek Page 136. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1972). A list of Rhodesian Legumes. Kirkia 8(2) Page 214. as Acacia giraffae Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 240. Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 257. (Includes a picture). Mannheimer, C. & Curtis B. (2009). Le Roux and Müller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia Macmillan Education, Windhoek, Namibia. Pages 92 - 93. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 44. Roodt, V. (1998). Trees and Shrubs of the Okavango Delta Shell Field Guide Series: Part I Shell Oil Botswana, Gaberone. Pages 156 - 159. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 59. Timberlake, J., Fagg, C. & Barnes, R. (1999). Field Guide to the Acacias of Zimbabwe CBC Publishing, Harare Pages 48 - 51. (Includes a picture). Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 209. |
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