General description
Together with the baobab, the umbrella thorn, Vachellia tortilis subsp. heteracantha (formerly Acacia tortilis), can perhaps be regarded as the most well-known tree of Africa, if not by name, then by its characteristic and exceptionally wide-spreading umbrella-shaped crown.
The species name, , refers to the twisted seed pods, while the subspecies name, , means ‘different thorns’, in reference to the hooked and, aptly describes its formidable ‘hook-and-prick’ thorns. In Xitsonga it is known as in Siswati and in Tshivenda.
