Acacia tortilis
umbrella thorn
Description 7
This species is easily distinguished from other Acacias by the coiled pods and the presence of both long straight thorns and short hooked thorns. Subsp. heteracantha is normally a shrub or small to medium sized tree. It is a smaller, more shrubby tree than subsp. spirocarpa, which has less tightly coiled pods and has more pubescent pods and young branches.
Description 8
A flat topped or umbrella shaped big tree. Stipules spinescent, some short hooked up to 5 mm long, mixed with long straight up to 8-10 cm long. Pinnae 2-10 pairs, leaflets 6-19 pairs. Inflorescence capitate, globose, white to creamy. Pod 7.5-15.0 cm long, c. 6-9 mm broad, contorted or spirally twisted.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/images/12/126230-4.jpg
- (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/images/12/126230-5.jpg
- (c) Pavel Buršík, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/76715.jpg
- (c) Selim Zedan Heneidy, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Eat267.jpg
- Selim Zedan Heneidy, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Acacia_tortilis_distribution.jpg
- (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/images/12/126230-2.jpg
- (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/19237964
- (c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/4952620
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- African Plants - a photo guide
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- eFloras.org
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- World Flora Online
