Vachellia leucophloea
Vachellia leucophloea
(Roxb.) Maslin, Seigler & Ebinger, Blumea 58: 42.2013; Acacia leucophloea (Roxb.) Willd., Sp. Pl. 4: 1083. 1806; Baker. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 294. 1879; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1: 191. 1918 (Reprint 1973); Fl. Pak @ eFloras.org; Mimosa leucophloea Roxb., Pl. Coromandel 2: 27.t. 150. 1798.
A moderate-sized tree with short bole; bark white to pale-grey and smooth on young stems, dark brown or black on old stems; young shoots and inflorescence densely grey-pubescent. Stipular spines in pairs below the petioles, straight, dark-brown, 2.5 mm-2.5 cm long or absent. Leaves bipinnate; rachis 2.5-10 cm long, petiole up to 2 cm long, usually one gland on the petiole, one between the lowest pair of pinnae and one between the 2-3 uppermost pairs of pinnae; pinnae 4-15 pairs, opposite, 1.8-4 cm long; leaflets 12-30 pairs, 2.5-5 mm long, linear-oblong, crowded, glabrous or nearly so, obtuse, base oblique, sessile; rachis and rachillae pubescent. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous, hypogynous, creamy white, in globose pedunculate heads, 8-10 mm diameter, arranged in large terminal, tomentose panicles, the lower branches axillary; heads geminate or solitary, racemosely arranged on the branches of panicle. Peduncles of heads 7-13 mm long, tomentose; bracts whorled about the middle of the peduncle, ca. 1.5 mm long, tomentose. Calyx 0.7-1 mm long, campanulate, villous, 5-toothed. Corolla nearly twice as long as calyx, 5-toothed, hairy without. Stamens indefinite, much exserted, 3.5-4 mm long; anthers small, eglandular. Ovary sessile, unilocular, ovules many, placentation marginal; style ca. 3 mm long, filiform; stigma small, terminal. Legumes 10-20 cm x 5-10 mm, linear, flat, fairly straight, sessile, sub-indehiscent, brown-velvety when young. Seeds 10-20, smooth, oblong, 6 mm x 4 mm, dark brown.
Common Names: White Bark Acacia, Brewer's Acacia, Distillers Acacia, Panicled Acacia; Safed Babul, Safed Kikkar, Reonja, Reru, Ronjh (Hindi)
