UMBRELLA THORN

A hooker and pricker

by Nick Zambatis

General description Together with the baobab, the umbrella thorn, Vachellia tortilis subsp. heteracantha (formerly Acacia tortilis), can perhaps be regarded as the most well-known tree of Africa, if not by name, then by its characteristic and exceptionally wide-spreading umbrella-shaped crown. The species name, tortilis, refers to the twisted seed pods, while the subspecies name, heteracantha, means ‘different thorns’, in reference to the hooked and straight thorns. Its Afrikaans name, haak-en-steek, aptly describes its formidable ‘hook-and-prick’ thorns. In Xitsonga it is known as nsasani, umSasane in Siswati and muunga-khanga in Tshivenda. In the Kruger National Park (KNP), it is a medium to large deciduous tree of up to 12m tall but elsewhere it can reach 20m. The lower the annual rainfall, the shorter the trees tend to be. « Nick Zambatis was the former Manager:…

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Kruger (Digital) - 1 Issue, Summer 2023-2024

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