Acacia brevispica Harms.

Leguminosae

Description

A shrub 2 to 5 m high with long, thin, rambling branches covered with small scattered thorns. The leaves are fairly large and the white flowers are in globose heads. The pods are thin, flat and broad.

Distribution

It is widespread in Africa, being found in the Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Zaire, Angola, Natal and Cape Province. In Kenya, it occurs at 1 600 to 2 000 m in elevation, where it often forms dense thickets on well-drained slopes in deep and fertile red soil.

Characteristics

Goats browse on this bush to a considerable extent, eating the leaves, flowers and young pods. It is seldom eaten by cattle because of its thorny branches. The leaves and young pods have a protein content of 17 to 19 percent (Dougall and Bogdan, 1958).
Because of its thicket formation it is usually necessary to control this species. Ivens (1970) has found that digging out the trees is the only full control measure. The tree trunks when cut down sucker profusely. Repeated burning or repeated spraying of the foliage with 2,4-D mixtures exerts some effect. Spraying with this species should be done four to six months after cutting.

Links for the genus:

The WattleWeb: Acacias from A-Z
Seed treatment and inoculation: Instructions for acacias and other NFT (Nitrogen Fixing Trees)
Sustainable livestock production: Indigenous knowledge in utilization of local trees and shrubs in central Tanzania