Vachellia kirkii

Vachellia kirkii, widely known as Acacia kirkii but now attributed to the genus Vachellia,[2] is a tree native to tropical Africa. It is commonly known as the flood plain acacia.[3]

Vachellia kirkii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Clade: Mimosoideae
Genus: Vachellia
Species:
V. kirkii
Binomial name
Vachellia kirkii
(Oliv.) Kyal. & Boatwr.[1]
Synonyms
  • Acacia kirkii Oliv.

Vachellia kirkii is a multi-trunked shrub or tree. It has a spreading, flat-topped crown, growing from 2.5 to 15 meters in height, and occasionally to 18 meters.[4]

Vachellia kirkii ranges across tropical Africa, from Guinea through Mali, the DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Its habitat includes woodland, savanna, and mixed scrubland. It occurs often in seasonally-flooded areas near rivers and lakes, including groundwater forests, swamp forests, and flooded savannas, on nutrient-rich silty and clay soils. It ranges in elevation from sea level to 1,980 metres.[5]

The species is named for John Kirk, who accompanied David Livingstone on his 1858 Zambezi expedition.

References
  1. "Vachellia kirkii". Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2020-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+kirkii>
  2. "Vachellia kirkii". Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2020-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+kirkii>
  3. Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2020). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Acacia kirkii subsp. kirkii var. kirkii. https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=126000, retrieved 28 March 2020
  4. "Vachellia kirkii". Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2020-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+kirkii>
  5. "Vachellia kirkii". Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2020-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+kirkii>
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