Vachellia karroo stem-tip in summer

Stem-tip growth during Vachellia karroo bloomtime displays clusters of straight-stalked spheres of tiny florets in various stages of development.

Before opening into a mass of yellow and fluffy florets, the green knob-kerrie or club-like appearance of the buds may suggest a weapon for tiny Lilliputian warriors that could wield them dancing on a branch.

The stem nodes are busy places where pairs of white spines and tufts of leaves grow from the thorn axils, more durable than the flowers. Some stem zigzagging at the nodes near the tip is visible (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993; Codd, 1951).