Vachellia planifrons - Umbrella Thorn

Umbrella Thorn is a tree up to 7 m tall; bark greyish-brown, thick with horizontal markings, branchlets warty. Leaves are double compound, alternate, fascicled on abbreviated branchlets, stipulate; stipular spines in pairs, unequal; short ones recurved, brown, long one straight, divergent, white with brown spots; axis 8-12 mm, slender, pulvinate, hairless, with a gland towards the base on the upper side [absent in smaller leaves]; pinnae 3-5 pairs, slender, 0.7-1 cm, opposite, even pinnate; leaflets 10-30, opposite, estipellate; blade 1-3 x 0.5-1 mm, linear-oblong, base oblique, tip blunt, margin entire, hairless, chartaceous, nerves obscure. Flowers are white heads in leaf-axils, 2-3 together, flower-cluster-stalks with involucel at the base; calyx bell-shaped, 1-2 x 1.5-2.5 mm, hairless. Actual flower is funnel shaped, 3-4 mm long, petals ovate to oblong; stamens many, 3-4 mm long, filaments basally fused; ovary 1.5 mm long, stalkless, hairless; style about 2.5 mm long. Fruit is a pod, 5-10 x 0.6-0.7 cm, slightly fleshy, circinate, entire along margin, pointed at tip, hairless, rounded to pointed at base; stipe very short; seeds 6-9. Umbrella Thorn is found in Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Flowering: October-April.