Umunyinta w'Ingara (Flat Top Acacia)
Vachellia abyssinica
A savanna and montane-grassland tree known for its unusually flat, spreading crown - more umbrella-shaped than most acacias. Young stems have bark that peels in papery reddish-to-yellowish flakes, and the airy, fern-textured foliage is made up of dozens of tiny leaflet pairs.
- Kinyarwanda name
- Umunyinta w'Ingara
- English name
- Flat Top Acacia
- Scientific name
- Vachellia abyssinica
- Family
- Fabaceae
Habitat
Montane grassland and woodland, often as a pioneer on fire-disturbed or degraded grassland, from low elevations up to over 1,600m.
Distribution
Ranges from Ethiopia south to Zimbabwe and Mozambique, west to Angola; a distinct subspecies (subsp. calophylla) is documented growing mainly in eastern Rwanda.
Uses
Traditional medicine; agroforestry; restoration of natural woodland; biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen in the soil.
Ecological importance
As a nitrogen-fixing legume it improves soil fertility and stabilises slopes; its flat, spreading crown provides shade and browse for livestock and wildlife.
Ibisobanuro
Igiti kiba cyane cyane mu Burasirazuba ry'u Rwanda. Gikoreshwa mu buvuzi gakondo, mu buhinzi, kuko gishyira azote mu butaka kibuvanye mu mwuka. Mu bworozi, amatungo yugama mu ngara zacyo izuba kandi zira kirisha.