Senegalia brevispica

Botanical Name

Senegalia brevispica (Harms) Seigler & Ebinger

Common Name(s)

  • prickly thorn

Synonyms

Legume Clades

Caesalpinioideae , Mimosoid Clade , Core Mimosoids , Ingoid Clade , Senegalia

Native Geographic Range

  • East Africa
  • Southern Africa

IUCN Status

LC (Least concern)
See IUCN Red List Assessment

Growth Form

small tree
shrub

Cultivation Status in AZ

Uniquely cultivated by DELEP

Description

Drought-deciduous plants to 23 ft (7 m) high. The bark is smooth and pale grayish. Stems are armed with small prickles. Leaves are bipinnate with 6--18 pairs of pinnae, each with 20--40 pairs of leaflets. Cream colored flowers are produced in spherical inflorescences in he summer.

Habitat

Widespread in eastern and central Africa where the plants occur in drier areas on slopes and valleys in grasslands, scrub, and savanna habitats. Seeds of DELEP's plant originated in Kenya.

Uses

None reported.

Horticulture

Prickly thorn is not grown by nurseries. This plant has proven hardy to 16° F (-9° C). Litter is minimal.