| DESCRIPTION: A shrub 2 to 5 m high with long, thin, rambling branches covered with small scattered thorns. The leaves are fairly large and the white flowers are in globose heads. The pods are thin, flat and broad. USE: Goats browse on this bush to a considerable extent, eating the leaves, flowers and young pods. It is seldom eaten by cattle because of its thorny branches. The leaves and young pods have a protein content of 17 to 19 percent. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: FURTHER INF: It is widespread in woodland savannas of Africa, being found in the Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Zaire, Angola, Natal and Cape Province. In Kenya, it occurs at 1600 to 2000 m in elevation, where it often forms dense thickets on well-drained slopes in deep and fertile red soil. It is one of the species within the Acacia genus that is non-nodulating. |