Yellow bark acacia

Yellow-bark acacia: The Yellow-bark acacia (Acacia erubescens) grows as either a tree or a shrub up to 6m high. V-shaped with flattened crown, this deciduous plant prefers rocky or stony areas in northern and central Namibia. The largest specimens though grow on sandy soils. Despite the impression from it's common name the bark is dark grey in older stems. Grey-brown to dark brown, curved thorns sport black tips and grow in pairs on stems with green leaves. The white to slightly reddish flowers blossom from August to December, at times through to April. A straight, thin but flattened pod will split open when ripe.

The bark is used to thicken milk in the north-west regions of the country. Livestock and game eat the pods and leaves and the wood is used in the manufacture of walking sticks. Many local gardens are protected by a 'thorny-branched, Yellow-bark acacia fence'.