Vachellia sieberiana var. woodii

Vachellia sieberiana var. woodii is the variety of V. sieberiana found in parts of north-eastern South Africa (SA Tree List No. 187). It used to be called Acacia sieberiana var. woodii.

This tree, known mainly for its spreading flat-topped to umbrella-shaped crown and flaking, peeling, papery bark, has a striking presence in grassy woodland. The characteristic bark has earned it the name of paperbark thorn. The tree may tower to 17 m tall and cast a wide and welcome shade over all seeking respite from the summer sun. It is single-stemmed, lower branches sometimes terracing outwards below the statuesque upper crown.

This specimen was photographed in October near the Blinkwater Mill in Mpumalanga. The trunk is uncharacteristically dark from a grass fire during the previous winter.

The only other recognised variety of the species, viz. V. sieberiana var. sieberiana, has a more northerly distribution area beyond the South African border in tropical Africa (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997).