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Sickle Pod
Scientific Name: Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn.
Synonym: Mimosa cinerea, Dichrostachys arborea, Cailliea dichrostachys, Dichrostachys glomerata, Mimosa glomerata, Dichrostachys nutans, Mimosa nutans, Dichrostachys platycarpa
Family: Fabaceae

Show Larger Picture Dichrostachys cinerea at the Glendale Xeriscape Garden

Recommended Temperature Zone: sunset: USDA: 10-12 Sun Exposure: Full sun Origin: Tropical Africa Growth Habits: Thorny tree or shrub, rapidly growing to 10 to 25 feet tall (3-7.5 m); thick fibrous bark with vertical fissures; branchlets modified in long thorns 1 to 4 inches long; bipinnate leaves, 1.6 to 3.2 inches long (4-8 cm), 5 to 15 pairs of pinnae, each with 12 to 30 pairs of leaflets. Watering Needs: Little to moderate water, drought resistant Propagation: Root cuttings, rooot suckering, seeds, can be invasive

Blooming Habits:
Bicolored flowers on dense pendulous spikes, in summer. The upper flowers are pink reddish, while the lower flowers, close to the tip of spike are yellowish.

Fruiting Habits:
Brown glabrous pods, 4 inches long (10 cm).