Acacia borleae Burtt Davy

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Photo: Rob Burrett
Mazunga north of Beitbridge.

Photo: Bart Wursten
Along Mahenye rd

Photo: Bart Wursten
Road to Chipinda Pools in Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve.

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Synonyms:	Vachellia borleae (Burtt Davy) Kyal. & Boatwr.
Common names:	Sticky acacia (English) Sticky thorn (English)
Frequency:
Status:
Description:	Usually a multi-stemmed shrub up to c. 3 m high, rarely a small slender tree up to 5 m. Bark dark reddish-brown; young branches with numerous pale reddish, often sticky glands. Spines paired at the nodes, slender, straight or slightly deflexed, whitish, up to 5 cm long. Leaves alternate, bi-pinnate with 5-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 5-15 pairs of leaflets. Leaflets yellowish-green, 1.5-6.5 mm long with numerous small sticky glands; margins appearing scalloped, due to the presence of the glands; petiole up to 2 cm long without a gland but often with a distinct gland between the lowest pair of pinnae. Flowers in axillary clusters of small bright yellow balls. Pod distinctly curved, sometimes almost forming a circle, slender, up to 8 cm long, constricted between the seeds, covered in reddish sticky glands, dehiscent.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	borleae: named after Mrs Jeanne Borle (born 1880), wife of a Swiss missionary, who collected the type specimen in southern Mozambique.
Habitat:
Flowering time:	Nov - Mar
Worldwide distribution:	Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Botswana distribution:
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Brenan, J.P.M. (1970). Mimosoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(1) Pages 90 - 91. Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 196. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 275. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1972). A list of Rhodesian Legumes. Kirkia 8(2) Page 213. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 240. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 44. Schmidt, E., Lötter, M. & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park Jacana, Johannesburg, South Africa Pages 146 - 147. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 59. Timberlake, J., Fagg, C. & Barnes, R. (1999). Field Guide to the Acacias of Zimbabwe CBC Publishing, Harare Pages 38 - 39. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Acacia borleae:

Our websites:

Flora of Mozambique: Acacia borleae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Acacia borleae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Acacia borleae
African Plant Database: Acacia borleae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Acacia borleae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Acacia borleae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Acacia borleae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Acacia borleae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Acacia borleae
JSTOR Plant Science: Acacia borleae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Acacia borleae
Plants of the World Online: Acacia borleae
Tropicos: Acacia borleae
Wikipedia: Acacia borleae