The Flowers are very numerous from February onwards in clusters of 2-5 at the nodes, the slender stalks over an inch long and the sweet-scented, yellow flower balls over ½ inch in diameter. As a rule the ends of the twigs on which the flowers are borne have no spines, these appearing later.
The Pods are very variable in size, up to 6 inches in length and their peculiarity is the marked jointing which, before they are full grown, gives them the appearance of a string of beads. They are smooth, with a slight bloom and contain some 6-8 oval, flattened seeds which ripen from March onwards.
Uses.—The wood is used for axe, hoe and tool handles.
ACACIA SENEGAL Willd.—Dakwora. LEGUMINOSAE.
A small tree some 15-20 feet high on an average, which is commonly met with in the more northerly provinces, especially in Sokoto, where it grows in dense thickets. It branches low down and is often shrub-like in its young stages, later producing a bole some 6 feet in length. The branches, ascending at an angle of about 60 degrees, repeatedly fork and form an open, flat-topped crown from which some of the long straight twigs protrude some feet above. It is a source of gum-arabic.
The Bark of young trees is very light in colour with a creamy tint, that of older trees, especially those which grow in the open, is purple on the bole, with patches of the lighter tint here and there. All over it are minute, whitish scales, so fine that they rub off in the hand as a fine powder, like that of Acacia Seyal. Here and there, according to season, are larger, thicker grey scales, chiefly about wounds or on the swollen forks. The bark is very thin and if scratched with the nail shows the bright green cambium layer just under the surface. The slash is mottled red.
The Thorns are in threes at the swollen nodes. The centre thorn is sharply recurved like a claw, the two side thorns being almost straight and pointing forward towards the tip of the twig. All are short, very sharp, with broad bases, like rose thorns, dark brown to almost black in colour, with a greyish bloom.
The Wood is white, but of such small dimensions that it is not used.