11/10/22, 5:26 PM Senegalia burkei | PlantZAfrica

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Senegalia burkei (Benth.) Kyal. & Boatwr. ( = Acacia

burkei Benth.)

Family: Fabaceae
Common names: black monkey-thorn (Eng.); swartapiesdoring
(Afr.); umkhaya wehlalahlathi, umbabampala (isiZulu); umkhaya
(siSwati); mokgwa, mokoba (Setswana); mokwaripa, mongangatau
(Sesotho sa Leboa); munanga (Tshivenda)
SA Tree No: 161

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Senegalia burkei is a distinctive deciduous tree that can be identified easily throughout the year. It has spikes of creamy
white flowers in early summer, followed by bright red seed pods. Small- and large-leaflet forms are found in different
regions.

Description
A large, spreading, deciduous tree, from 12 m up to 25 m tall, with a rounded, flattened or open crown. Bark on the young
branches is greyish yellow to reddish brown and velvety, but also pale or dark greyish yellow to dark brown, irregularly
fissured and flaking on the older branches and stems. The branches often have dark, hooked thorns on knobs. Young
branchlets are covered with fine brown hairs that turn grey with age. Thorns are short, dark, sharply hooked and strongly
recurved. They grow in pairs, far apart below the leaf buds, and are 3–9 mm long.

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Senegalia burkei has twice compound leaves that are alternate and the leaf stalk is often covered in fine white hairs. The
dark green compound leaf may have 3–10, opposite or subopposite, feather pairs that vary in shape and size, with fewer
pairs in drier areas and more in wetter areas. The leaves are short, stiff and stand upright with a gland at the junction of
the top pinnae pairs. A leaf is 25–70 mm long, and a leaflet is 12–25 mm long.

Inflorescence is a 15–85 mm long spike. Flowers are scented, yellowish white, sessile, with a distinct pinkish to pinkish
red calyx. White flower spikes in small groups appear in late spring or summer (October to January) and fruiting is from
December to May. Pods are in drooping clusters. The flat bean-like pods have a pointed tip and turn red-brown to dark
brown as they ripen. They are remarkably veined, particularly when young. Ripe pods turn black, thinly textured, up to
170 × 24 mm, and split open on the tree.

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Conservation Status
Least Concern (LC). This species has not been fully assessed but is not considered to be of conservation concern.

Distribution and habitat

Senegalia burkei is found in southeastern Botswana and southeastern Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, and in
Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It occurs on a variety of soil types and on rocky
slopes in the dry river valley scrub, thornveld or in mixed woodland.

Derivation of name and historical aspects

This species used to be known as Acacia burkei. The name Acacia is derived from the Greek word akakia, the name for
the Egyptian thorn, probably derived from the word ake meaning ‘a point’. The genus Acacia has been retypified and
split, with the result that all the African acacias now fall into the recently defined genera: Vachellia or Senegalia. The
genus Senegalia means ‘referring to Senegal’ in Africa. The name was first published by Rafinesque in 1838, but it is not
clear why the name was chosen. The species name burkei, refers to the naturalist and collector, Joseph Burke (1812–
1873), who catalogued this tree in the 1840s, and collected specimens of it near Magaliesberg.

Ecology
The most important pollinators of African acacias are social and solitary bees, although other insects and nectar-feeding
birds are important in specific cases. Senegalia burkei is one of the species that secretes nectar, and its flowers attracts
many visitors, although many of these are probably not important as pollinators.

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Uses
The gum is eaten by people, monkeys and bushbabies. Bark and roots are used in traditional medicine to treat eye and
back complaints. The roots are also used to make a yellow dye. The leaves were believed to attract lightning.
The wood has thin yellowish sapwood and a golden- to dark brown, strong, hard and heavy heartwood (air-dry
910kg/m3). The wood is used to make furniture, tool handles and to make long-lasting fence posts, as it is termite-
resistant. The heartwood makes a good quality fuel with coals that burn for a long time.
The leaves are eaten by black rhino, giraffe, kudu, nyala and impala. Dry pods have a high nutritional value and are
eagerly eaten by cattle and game.
The tree can be used to provide shade, and it makes a good bonsai subject. Its root system can become aggressive,
therefore, it should not be planted close to paving or buildings.

Growing Senegalia burkei

Collect fresh seeds from the trees and soak well in hot water overnight. Avoid picking up seeds from the ground as
insects may infest them. Sow the swollen seeds in river sand, using flat seedling trays. Germination takes place in 3 to 4
weeks. Transplant when they reach two-leaf stage into a nursery black bag or pot and take care not to damage the
taproot. Use a good general well-drained potting mix. Senegalia burkei has a slow growth rate and can withstand low
temperatures, but not cold wind.

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