Fabaceae

Vachellia xanthophloea

Common Names: Fever tree

Plant Form: Fast growing tree. Size: Up to 25 m tall. Stem: Smooth, slightly flaking, coated in greenish yellow power that rubs off onto hands. With white, straight pairs of spines. Leaves: Compound of 4-7 pairs of small leaflets in groups of 10-17. Flowers: Yellow, globular, typical wattle-like flowers. Fruit and Seeds: Flat, papery light brown pods 5-19 cm long, containing 5-10 seeds. Habitat: Riverbanks, floodplains, open woodlands. Distinguishing Features: Similar to Prickly acacia (Vachellia nilotica) but powdery bark rather than rough. Impacts: Forms dense thickets restricting stock or human movement, replaces native vegetation.

Massive spines

Flowers are yellow balls

Yellowish bark on braches and trunk

Seed pods