Common Name(s)
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red-thorned acacia
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mountain thorn
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morufuri (Tswana)
Legume Clades
Growth Form
small tree
shrub
Cultivation Status in AZ
Uniquely cultivated by DELEP
Description
Tardily drought-deciduous plants to 16 ft (5 m) or more high. The bark is grayish brown and becomes fissured with age. The stems are armed with single or paired, hooked prickles. Leaves are bipinnate with 10--14 pairs of pinnae. Each pinna has 16--48 pairs of small leaflets. Cream colored flowers are produced in spike-like inflorescences in late spring and summer.
Habitat
Native to parts of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe where it occurs in scattered colonies on slopes, valleys, and along ephemeral watercourses in dry grasslands, woodlands, and acacia shrublands.
Uses
None reported.
Horticulture
Red thorn is not available from nurseries. It tends to form a dense mass of unpleasantly armed stems though can make an effective barrier. Established plants require little supplemental irrigation. This species has survived 16° F (-9° C) in cultivation. Litter is minimal.
