| Home | > | List of families | > | Fabaceae subfamily Mimosoideae | > | Acacia | > | caffra |
| Synonyms: |
Senegalia caffra (Thunb.) P.J.H. Hurter & Mabb. |
| Common names: | Common hook-thorn (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Planted or introduced |
| Description: |
Shrub or small tree with a narrow crown. Bark not peeling. Prickles mostly in pairs, sometimes scattered. Leaves: petiole 1.3-3.5 cm long gland near the base of the pinnae small or absent; lamina large, drooping, 15-20 × 6 cm with 10-20 pairs of pinnae; leaflets 2-7 mm long. Spikes of creamy-white flowers clustered at the junction of the new year’s growth with the old. Pods brown, straight. |
| Notes: | Doubtfully recorded from Zimbabwe. A colony of trees occurred in the Tynwald area of Harare in the late 80s and 90s (this record gives the details); however these were likely planted or introduced. In addition, there is a record from Wedza Mountain but I understand that this was not substantiated with a herbarium specimen. |
| Derivation of specific name: | caffra: from Kaffraria, or South Africa |
| Habitat: | |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Eswatini. |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | C |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Brenan, J.P.M. (1970). Mimosoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(1) Pages 72 - 73. Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 201. (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. 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 42 - 43. (Includes a picture). |
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