Vachellia exuvialis crown

In spite of its upright growth habit, the crown of Vachellia exuvialis may spread to 2,5 m wide.

The leaves of this tree are bipinnate: two to six pairs of pinnae bear up to ten pairs of oblong to oblique leaflets with rounded tips. Leaves grow solitary at nodes, but smaller, secondary leaves follow at the same nodes. Leaves, including the petiole, become up to 5 cm in length, although commonly only half that. Foliage tends to be sparse, pale green in colour.

The thorny stipules at leaf bases grow in pairs. These spines are white and straight, up to 7 cm long, although usually shorter and sometimes slightly inflated at the base. Black spots may occur on the thorns and their tips may be reddish. Young thorns at stem tips are flexible and pinkish.

The flowers of this thorn tree are yellow. Each fluffy sphere comprises numerous, conspicuous stamens growing on long, thin stalks. Flowering may last from spring to autumn, more profusely in the middle part of that period. New flowers and ripening fruits are often seen concurrently on the trees during the latter part of the blooming season.

The sickle-shaped, flat and tapering fruit pods occur in small bunches. The pods are hairless with faint veining visible on the pod surfaces. The pods dry to a brown colour and dehisce. There are slight constrictions between the seeds, of which there are usually three, occasionally more. Seeds are flat, disc-shaped and olive-coloured (Carr, 1976; Coates Palgrave, 2002).