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thorn trees
Vachellia
Vachellia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or acacias. It belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae. Its species were considered members of genus Acacia until 2009. Vachellia can be distinguished from other acacias by its capitate inflorescences and spinescent stipules. Before discovery of the New World, Europeans in the Mediterranean region were familiar with several species of Vachellia, which they used as medicine. European names for them were inherited from the Greeks and Romans.
The wide-ranging genus occurs in a variety of open, tropical to subtropical habitats, and is locally dominant. In parts of Africa, Vachellia species are shaped progressively by grazing animals of increasing size and height, such as gazelle, gerenuk, and giraffe. The genus in Africa has developed thorns to defend against being eaten.
60 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Sweet acacia
speciesVachellia farnesiana
Sweet Thorn
speciesVachellia karroo
Caven Thorn
speciesVachellia caven
umbrella thorn
speciesVachellia tortilis
whitethorn acacia
speciesVachellia constricta
Egyptian acacia
speciesVachellia nilotica
Blackbrush Acacia
speciesVachellia rigidula
Camel Thorn
speciesVachellia erioloba
bullhorn acacia
speciesVachellia cornigera
fever tree
speciesVachellia xanthophloea
porknut
speciesVachellia macracantha
Schaffner's acacia
speciesVachellia schaffneri
fern-leaf acacia
speciesVachellia pennatula
Paperbark Thorn
speciesVachellia sieberiana
Boat-spine Acacia
speciesVachellia campeachiana
splendid thorn
speciesVachellia robusta
twisted acacia
speciesVachellia tortuosa
Viscid acacia
speciesVachellia vernicosa
Vachellia hindsii
speciesVachellia hindsii
Vachellia aroma
speciesVachellia aroma
White Bark Acacia
speciesVachellia leucophloea
candlepod thorn
speciesVachellia hebeclada
whistling thorn
speciesVachellia drepanolobium
Vachellia collinsii
speciesVachellia collinsii
Thirsty Thorn
speciesVachellia seyal
Huisachillo
speciesVachellia bravoensis
Water Thorn
speciesVachellia nebrownii
Bastard Umbrella Thorn
speciesVachellia luederitzii
Red Thorn
speciesVachellia gerrardi
Cinnecord
speciesVachellia choriophylla
Flaky thorn
speciesVachellia exuvialis
Dune Thorn
speciesVachellia kosiensis
Grey Camel Thorn
speciesVachellia haematoxylon
Floodplain Acacia
speciesVachellia kirkii
Pale-Barked Sweet Thorn
speciesVachellia natalitia
Vachellia astringens
speciesVachellia astringens
Vachellia bidwillii
speciesVachellia bidwillii
Vachellia reficiens
speciesVachellia reficiens
Vachellia pacensis
speciesVachellia pacensis
Silky Thorn
speciesVachellia rehmanniana
Horned Thorn
speciesVachellia grandicornuta
Vachellia flava
speciesVachellia flava
Flat top acacia
speciesVachellia abyssinica
Ant acacia
speciesVachellia allenii
Corkbark Thorn
speciesVachellia davyi
Galápagos acacia
speciesVachellia rorudiana
Vachellia hockii
speciesVachellia hockii
Indian Umbrella Thorn
speciesVachellia planifrons
Vachellia albicorticata
speciesVachellia albicorticata
Vachellia brandegeeana
speciesVachellia brandegeeana
Swazi Acacia
speciesVachellia swazica
Vachellia gummifera
speciesVachellia gummifera
Schott's Wattle
speciesVachellia schottii
Vachellia californica
speciesVachellia californica
Vachellia glandulifera
speciesVachellia glandulifera
Vachellia eburnea
speciesVachellia eburnea
Sticky Acacia
speciesVachellia borleae
Bull's-Horn Acacia
speciesVachellia sphaerocephala
Vachellia jacquemontii
speciesVachellia jacquemontii
Robber Thorn
speciesVachellia horrida
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Vachellia in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 72418.