Acacia xanthophloea Benth.

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Acacia xanthophloea

Photo: Bart Wursten
Musicadzi River, Road 5A, Gorongosa National Park

Acacia xanthophloea

Photo: Fraser Gear
Road 5 across West of Muzicadzi River, Gorongosa National Park.

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Synonyms: Vachellia xanthophloea (Benth.) P.J.H. Hurter
Common names: Fever tree (English) Fever-tree thorn (English)
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
Medium-sized deciduous tree. Bark very distinctive, smooth, greenish-yellow or yellow, powdery. Thorns straight, up to 7 cm, white, in pairs at the nodes. Leaves often clustered on short lateral shoots, 4-6 pairs of pinnae. Leaflets in 10-17 pairs per pinna, small, pale yellow-green. Flowers in axillary clusters of pale yellow spherical heads. Pods straight, papery with a wavy margin, indehiscent.
Type location:
Notes:
Derivation of specific name: xanthophloea: from the Greek: xanthos meaning yellow, phloios meaning bark.
Habitat: In marshy areas and along floodplains, often in large stands
Altitude range: (metres) Up to 500 m
Flowering time:Aug - Nov
Worldwide distribution: From Somalia to KwaZulu-Natal and Eswatini
FZ divisions: Z,T,MS,GI,M
Growth form(s): Tree.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated: Thursday 1 September 2016
Literature:

Brenan, J.P.M. (1970). Mimosoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(1) Page 96.

Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 188. (Includes a picture).

Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 303. (Includes a picture).

Drummond, R.B. (1972). A list of Rhodesian Legumes. Kirkia 8(2) Page 215.

Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 241.

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.

Parker, T. (2023). Common Trees of Mozambique The Tree Press, Austin, Texas, USA Pages 200 - 201. (Includes a picture).

Schmidt, E., Lötter, M. & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park Jacana, Johannesburg, South Africa Pages 166 - 167. (Includes a picture).

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 61.

Setshogo, M.P. & Venter, F. (2003). Trees of Botswana: names and distribution SABONET Report No. 18 Southern African Botanical Diversity Network, Pretoria Page 66.

Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 26.

Timberlake, J., Fagg, C. & Barnes, R. (1999). Field Guide to the Acacias of Zimbabwe CBC Publishing, Harare Pages 138 - 139. (Includes a picture).

Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (1997). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik, South Africa Pages 498 - 499. (Includes a picture).

Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (2013). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa (Second edition) Struik, South Africa Pages 594 - 595. (Includes a picture).


Other sources of information about Acacia xanthophloea:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Acacia xanthophloea
Flora of Botswana: cultivated Acacia xanthophloea
Flora of Malawi: Acacia xanthophloea
Flora of Zimbabwe: Acacia xanthophloea
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Acacia xanthophloea

External websites:

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


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2007-25

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2025). Flora of Mozambique: Species information: Acacia xanthophloea.
https://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=126260, retrieved 15 June 2025

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