Senegalia schweinfurthii

Tilcayo Cats original · Plants · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Senegalia schweinfurthii, commonly called river climbing acacia, is a climbing or sprawling shrub, sometimes a small tree, in the pea family, Fabaceae. Its native range extends from South Sudan southwards to South Africa. It was formerly placed in Acacia; the combination in Senegalia was published in 2010.

Appearance

The stems carry small, curved prickles scattered along their length. They can trail through other vegetation or climb into trees, and the plant may form dense thickets. The large leaves are divided into paired branches bearing numerous small leaflets. A conspicuous gland lies on the leaf stalk near its base.

The East African flora describes climbing stems reaching about twelve metres. Young branchlets are olive-green or pale brown, with short hairs and glands. The flowers are white or very pale yellow and occur in rounded heads grouped into larger branching clusters.

The leathery pods have transverse markings and raised areas over the seeds. The Flora Zambesiaca account records pods about nine and a half to nineteen centimetres long. Their smooth, dark brown to nearly black seeds are roughly elliptical.

Habitat and seasonal records

The Zimbabwe flora associates the species with riverine woodland, where its tangled growth can form dense barriers. It also records an association with termite mounds and flowering from December to February. These are regional observations, rather than a flowering calendar for its whole African range.

Names and variation

The Zimbabwe treatment includes both varieties schweinfurthii and sericea within its species account. It explains that the species name honours the botanical collector and taxonomist Georg August Schweinfurth. The older combination Acacia schweinfurthii and the current Senegalia schweinfurthii refer to the same species.