Vachellia hebeclada

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

Vachellia hebeclada is a thorny shrub or small tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to southern Africa. It grows in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Older floras place it in Acacia; its present combination was published in 2013.

Appearance

The plant commonly branches close to the ground and can form dense thickets. The Flora Zambesiaca account describes a broad range of sizes, from low shrubs to trees about seven metres tall. Young branches carry a dense covering of grey hairs. The paired thorns may be short and hooked or longer and straighter.

Each leaf is divided twice, with paired side branches carrying rows of small leaflets. White or cream flowers form rounded heads. The thick-walled pods are nearly straight and can reach about fifteen centimetres long; their outer surfaces have a covering of short grey hairs, and they eventually open to release the seeds.

Variation and habitat

Kew recognises three subspecies: hebeclada, chobiensis and tristis. A description of one subspecies therefore need not describe every population.

SANBI's account of subspecies hebeclada, commonly called candle thorn, describes low plants spreading from underground branches as well as upright shrubs and small trees. The low form occurs in dry grassland and savanna on sandy soils, often associated with calcrete. Taller forms are associated with moister, more clay-rich soils. The same account describes the plant as tolerant of some cold.

Subspecies chobiensis has a more northerly regional range, from Zambia towards northeastern Namibia, including Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Flowers and seeds

Bees and flies visit the flowers of subspecies hebeclada and transfer pollen between them. Its conspicuous pods stand upright on stout stalks and may contain as many as ten seeds. SANBI's cultivation account notes that the hard seed coat affects germination and that results differed between seed collections made at different times. These observations concern the named subspecies and cultivation conditions, rather than a germination rate established for the whole species.