Species Profile: Acacia tortilis
By Phoebe Howe (Middlebury College)
Botswana Student Program
They call me Umbrella thorn or acacia tortilis
In Setswana, mosu is what my name is
Afrikaans, it’s haak-en-steek
Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe – come take a peek
Look in bushveld and grassland: my ranges
I have a flat spreading crown
Thorns in pairs? I’m down
4mm bipinnate leaves are small
Flowers are white, in a ball
My pods are yellow and spiraled, even in Maun
These nutritious parts livestock and game will browse
On my bark, an elephant mows
People boil my leaves and root
So that fever and diarrhea will scoot
Thus, medicine and food come from my boughs
You might recognize me from the Lion King
If you think of my continent, your bells I ring
However, I come in two kinds
Subspecies heteracantha and spirocarpa are defined
Just watch out for my thorns, they can pack a sting