| Vachellia kirkii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Vachellia |
| Species: | V. kirkii |
| Binomial name | |
| Vachellia kirkii (Oliv.) Kyal. & Boatwr. | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Vachellia kirkii, formerly classified as Acacia kirkii, is a tree species native to tropical Africa, but now attributed to the genus Vachellia, It is commonly known as the flood plain acacia.
This species is a multi-trunked shrub or tree with a spreading, flat-topped crown. it typically grows from 2.5 to 15 meters in height, but can occasionally reach up to 18 meters.
Vachellia kirkii is distributed across tropical Africa, from Guinea and Mali to the Democratic Republic Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
It thrives in various habitats including woodlands, savannas, and mixed scrublands, often in seasonally-flooded areas near rivers and lakes. These environment includes groundwater forests, swamp forests, and flooded savannas, on nutrient-rich silty and clay soils. The is found at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,980 metres.
The species is named in honor of John Kirk, who accompanied David Livingstone on his Zambezi expedition in 1858.
References
- ^ "Vachellia kirkii". Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2020-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+kirkii>
- 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
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Vachellia kirkii | |
| Acacia kirkii | |