Vachellia robusta

Vachellia robusta, the splendid thorn, is an Afrotropical tree species.

Vachellia robusta
On the Springbok Flats
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Vachellia
Species:
V. robusta
Binomial name
Vachellia robusta
(Burch.) Kyal. & Boatwr.[1]
Subspecies[2]
  • Vachellia robusta subsp. clavigera (E.Mey.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
  • Vachellia robusta subsp. robusta (Burch.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
  • Vachellia robusta subsp. usambarensis (Taub.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
Synonyms
  • Acacia robusta Burch.

It is native to eastern and southern Africa, ranging from Ethiopia and Somalia in the north to South Africa and Namibia in southern Africa.[3]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are accepted:

  • Vachellia robusta subsp. clavigera (E.Mey.) Kyal. & Boatwr. – native to Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, and South Africa.[4]
  • Vachellia robusta subsp. robusta – native to South Africa, Botswana, and western Zimbabwe.[5]
  • Vachellia robusta subsp. usambarensis (Taub.) Kyal. & Boatwr. – native to Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.[6] It is a common canopy tree in drier undifferentiated forest communities in the Northern and Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic of coastal Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, where it grows up to 20 meters high.[7]
  • Foliage
    Foliage
  • Flowers and flower buds
    Flowers and flower buds
  • Seed pod
    Seed pod

References
  1. Kyalangalilwa B, Boatwright JS, Daru BH, Maurin O, van der Bank M (2013). "Phylogenetic position and revised classification of Acacia s.l. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in Africa, including new combinations in Vachellia and Senegalia". Bot J Linn Soc. 172 (4): 500–523. doi:10.1111/boj.12047.
  2. "Vachellia robusta (as Acacia robusta)". The Plant List. 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  3. Vachellia robusta (Burch.) Kyal. & Boatwr. Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 10 December 2020.
  4. Vachellia robusta subsp. clavigera (E.Mey.) Kyal. & Boatwr. Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 10 December 2022.
  5. Vachellia robusta subsp. robusta. Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 10 December 2022.
  6. Vachellia robusta subsp. usambarensis (Taub.) Kyal. & Boatwr. Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 10 December 2022.
  7. White, Frank F. (1983). The vegetation of Africa: A descriptive memoir to accompany the Unesco/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa. UNESCO, 1983. ISBN 92-3-101955-4

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