Common Names: African Wattle Mwikalankanga, Mulungwa, Mwezenyele, Mteta, Munyeale
Family: Fabaceae (Legume Family) Caesalpinoideae
 
Growth Form, Habitat and Distribution 
A small to medium-sized deciduous tree, sometimes multi-stemmed, often with a crooked trunk and numerous branches giving a feathery crown. Occurs across Zambia in most woodland types, but particularly abundant in Munga woodland and around Baikiaea forest. Similar to Acacia amythethophylla but the latter is sparsely spiny. 
Size     Height up to 30m, usually smaller, spread 6 to 15m.
Bark    Light brown, horizontally striated when young, becoming rough and scaly. 
Leaves    Alternate, compound, bipinnate with 4 to 9 pairs of opposite pinnae, each with 8 to 20 pairs of small, oblong leaflets (5 to 9mm) of oblong-elliptical shiny green leaflets (1.5 to 8cm), dull green above, paler below. Petiole with dense rusty brown hairs 2 to 5cm.
Flowers    Showy, orange-smelling, bright yellow, in dense, axillary sprays (up to 15cm), September to January, producing very good nectar.
Fruit     Flat, brown, elliptical pods (5 to 10cm) with narrow winged margins ripening in dense clusters April to September, with 1 to 2 round, brown seeds.
Uses    A good “bee tree” and a “rain tree” host to several butterflies and moth larvae.  Grows easily and makes a beautiful shade tree in a garden. 
Other species in Zambia: None. Only 1 species indigenous to Africa.