A shrub or small tree up to 14 m tall; bole often twisted, up to 60 cm in diameter; bark rough, sometimes fissured, reddish brown to blackish brown; crown spreading; branchlets glabrous to densely hairy, with pairs of hooked prickles up to 9 mm long just below the nodes. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound, with 6–38 pairs of pinnae; stipules linear, 2.5–4 mm long, caducous; petiole 0.5–4 cm long, with gland near top, rachis 2–23 cm long, sometimes with prickles up to 3 mm long and with glands between top pairs of pinnae; leaflets in 16–64 pairs per pinna, linear to linear-oblong, 2–12 mm × 0.5–2.5 mm, oblique at base, with rounded to acute apex, glabrous to pubescent. Inflorescence an axillary spike 2–10 cm long, solitary or in fascicles; peduncle up to 4 cm long. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, small, creamy white, sessile; calyx campanulate, tube 0.5–1.5 mm long, lobes shorter; corolla campanulate, tube up to 2 mm long, lobes triangular, up to 1 mm long; stamens numerous, free, up to 6 mm long; ovary superior, 0.5–2 mm long, sessile or stalked, style slender, up to 6 mm long. Fruit an oblong to linear pod 4.5–19.5 cm × 0.5–2.5 cm, usually straight, glabrous to hairy, reddish brown scaly, longitudinally dehiscent, up to 10-seeded. Seeds flattened ovoid to oblong, 6–12 mm × 4–8 mm, olive green to pale brown.

Blood purifier and emetic (bark infusion)

PROTAbase: Acacia caffra

A leaf decoction with milk is used as an enema to treat abdominal complaints in children; the leaves are sometimes chewed for the same purpose. A leaf decoction is also drunk to treat colds and fever.