A small tree, 3-6 m. tall, young shoots pubescent, old branches glaucous-grey, on older stems the bark peels off in thin flakes of a darker colour. Prickles in threes at the base of the petiole, two lateral ones nearly straight or slightly curved upwards, the third recurved c. 5 mm long. Rachis c. 2.5-5 cm long, with glands between the lowest and upper most pair of pinnae. Pinnae 3-5 pairs, opposite, sometimes alternate, c.1.2-2.5 cm long. Leaflets 8-15 pairs, c. 2-5 mm long, c. 1-1.5 mm broad, linear, obtuse, subsessile. Inflorescence a pedunculate spike, peduncle c. 8-18 mm long, spike 5-10 cm long. Flowers sessile. Calyx c. 1.5-2.5 mm long, broadly campanulate, glabrous. Corolla c. 4 mm long. Stamens indefinite, filaments c. 6-7 mm long. Pod 5-7.5 cm long, c.1.7-2.5 cm broad, thin, flat, almost straight, shortly stipitate, tip with a slightly curved beak. Seeds 5-6, disc like, almost circular, ovate to linear-ovate, 6-9 mm long, c. 5-8 mm broad, with a U shaped depression on either side, smooth, dark brown to greyish green in colour.

Fl.Per. August-December.

Type: Arabia—whereabouts of Type uncertain (Brenan in Hubbard & Milne-Redhead, Fl. Trop. East Afr. (Mimosoideae) 92.1959.).

Distribution: W. Pakistan (Sind, Baluchistan); India (Rajasthan, South-East Punjab, Delhi) ; Arabia; widely distributed in Tropical Africa.

It yields true gum arabic of commerce. The gum is used in medicine and most forms of confectionaries. The wood takes beautiful polish and is used for weaver's shuttles, fuelwood and charcoal.