Common Acacias of Kenya

Abstract

A number of species of Acacia are very prominent in the woody vegetation of Kenya, and these cover large areas either in pure stands or in mixture with other shrubs and trees. Some of them form thickets and either make grazing impossible or greatly reduce the grazing capacity of land. There are also some useful species which have edible pods and leaves. Forty-three species .of Acacia have been recorded in Kenya. As this pamphlet is mainly intended for the use of those engaged in bush control and pasture management, only the twenty-four commonest species are described and included in the key, thus making the use of the key easy. The remaining species are just mentioned in the index. The botanical names of our acacias are taken from the Flora of Tropical East Africa, Leguminosae, subfamily Mimosoideae, by J. P. M. Brenan, published in 1959, and wrong names that were previously used for some species have now been corrected. The local names are after E. Battiscombe, R. N. Edmondson, S. L. Koros, D. J. Pratt, and D. B. Thomas. Information on the reaction to arboricides is based mainly on a summary by G. W. Ivens in Tropical Agriculture, Vol. 35, 1958, and information on the chemical composition is from "Browse Plants of Kenya" by H. W. Dougall and A. V. Bogdan, East African Agricultural Journal, April, 1958.