A spiny shrub or tree up to 10m in height. On wet sites it is an evergreen but it looses all it leaves during the dry season. The bark is grey-brown, when cut at the edge it is reddish, matured bark is grooved and cracking. The paired spines are ‘thump pointer’, the straight thorns long and thin. Its branches are intertwined and yellow-white in colour and form an impenetrable thicket. Flowers are small, 10-25 in number besides leaves, yellow-green in colour, stalks and calyx hairy white. Fruits are yellow and ~2cm in diameter, when dried the colour turns reddish.

Antihelminthic and anti-diarrheic (boiled leaves); narcotic, tranquilliser, sedative, emollient and astringent (fruits)

Wild Food Plants in Ethiopia
AgroForestryTree Database
Plants For A Future

Ascorbic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin (fruit); beta-sitosterol (plant); betulinic acid (leaves); amphibine (bark)

The roots are used to treat headaches, while the spines or ashes of this species are applied to snake bites. Boiled leaves are applied to various surface wounds. A cataplasm of young leaves is also used to reduce eye inflammations. The fruits are used to reduce abscesses and boils.