Shrubs or trees 1–8(–10) m, bark light reddish brown, checkered, rough. Stems often armed at nodes with single axillary thorn to 8 cm, brachyblasts 0.5–1.5 cm. Leaves 1.5–20 cm, from brachyblasts or directly on new growth; petiole 0.5–4 cm; pinnae 1–8[–10] cm; nectary 1+, between first pair of pinnae, usually also between distal ones, narrowly cylindrical to crateriform, apically concave; leaflet blades linear to oblong, 2–5[–14] mm, venation obscure except midvein, sometimes with raised secondary venation. Peduncles 2–7 cm. Spikes 3.5–7 cm, stout, woody in fruit, 1–3[–6] heads per axil, each 2–5 cm, ca. 1/2 sterile. Flowers 2–5 mm; calyx 1/4–1/2 length of flower; petals lanceolate, distinct basally, connate centrally; anthers bright yellow, oblong to ovate, glands long-stipitate, orbicular; staminodia exserted 5–15 mm from corolla; style white, exserted from stamens. Legumes pendent, usually densely crowded in glomerules of 10–20 irregularly contorted, twisted, intertwined pods, light [dark] brown, 8–11(–14) mm wide, valves leathery to slightly woody, rough with raised reticulate venation, usually raised over seeds. 2n = 28 [36, 54, 56, 78].

Phenology: Flowering and fruiting Jun–Feb.
Habitat: Heavy clay to sandy soils.
Elevation: 0–50 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Introduced; Fla., Asia (India), Africa, Australia, introduced also in West Indies.

Discussion

In the flora area, Dichrostachys cinerea is known from Lake, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, and Polk counties.

As currently circumscribed, Dichrostachys cinerea is widespread and highly variable. Early classifications distinguished species within the D. cinerea complex (G. Bentham 1875; E. G. Baker 1926–1930), but J. P. M. Brenan and R. K. Brummitt (1965) subsumed them all [except the Australian D. spicata (F. Mueller) Domin] in D. cinerea. Their treatment recognized ten subspecies and numerous varieties within some subspecies. This classification was not supported after improved sam­pling (J. H. Ross 1974). If one adopts the Brenan and Brummitt classification, the Florida introductions are best assigned to Dichrostachys cinerea subsp. africana Brenan & Brummitt. Dichrostachys cinerea has become a pervasive weed in Cuba, to the extent that it has been proposed as a source for biofuel in that country (D. Travieso Pedroso and M. Kaltschmitt, DOI 10.1007/s1339-011-0026-y) and has been banned from Hawaii

Dichrostachys cinerea has had many traditional medicinal uses and has recently been tested as an effec­tive antibacterial (M. M. Eisa et al. 2000), antitumor (A. H. S. Abou Zeid et al., DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1084325), and antiasthmatic (G. Irié-N’guessan et al. 2011) agent. The species is also a nutritious forage plant and an important source of fuel and building wood in Africa (D. A. Hines and K. Eckman 1993).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.