Vachellia paolii
Vachellia paolii is a thorny shrub or small tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, found in northeastern tropical Africa and Kenya. It was formerly placed in Acacia; the combination in Vachellia was published in 2013.[1]
Appearance and habitat
The plant branches near the ground and may reach about five metres tall. Its young branches are hairy and bear slender, straight thorns. The leaves divide into paired branches carrying small leaflets. White flowers form rounded heads, followed by curved, leathery pods.[1]
The East African flora records it in wooded grassland and deciduous bushland, sometimes locally dominant, on soils formed from river deposits or material accumulating downslope.[1]
Subspecies
The Somali flora treats the plants there as subspecies paolii. Their pods carry conspicuous long white hairs. It distinguishes them from subspecies paucijuga, recorded in Kenya and possibly Ethiopia. These regional and subspecies accounts should not be assumed to describe every population identically.[1]