Acacia Tree of a kind - Kumukunga (acacia persiciflora)

Natural Habitat and Distribution in Bungoma: Habitat: wooded grassland and scattered tree grassland.

Distribution: fairly common in woodland and wooded grassland, left in cultivated land.

Description: Bark dark brown or grey-brown, flaking in vertical stripes. Spines: small, recurved, 2-4 mm long, with blank tip, in pairs just below the nodes or may be absent. Leaves bipinnate, with 4-8 pairs of pinnae, each with 11-17 pairs of leaflets. Flowers in spikes, white-pink, up to 3.5 cm long, solitary in leaf axil. Pod rather straight, up to 15 cm long but usually smaller, papery, opens on the tree.

Physical Features: Shape: tree up to 15 m high, many branches growing upwards. Crown: flat. Foliage: light, deciduous.

Biological features: Tree/Crop association: the tree is left in cropland and is compatible   with all types if crops. Biomass production: fairly slow growing. Other characteristics: the tree produces an inferior gum. Reproduction: seeds.

Management: coppicing, lopping.

Ecological Benefit: diversity aspect in open wooded grassland, soil fixation, windbreak.

Tree Products and use: bee forage, fuelwood, charcoal, shade, ornamental, windbreak, timber.

Medicinal Application: Endwasi. Treatment of cow diseases.