Family: Caesalpiniaceae Scientific name: Parkinsonia aculeata Description: Plant Form Upright thicket-forming shrub or small tree. Size 2-6 m tall. Stem Slender, drooping and tend to zig-zag. With thorns 5-20 mm long. Leaves Flat green stalk up to 30 cm long with small green leaflets along both sides. Flowers Bright yellow, fragrant 1-2 cm wide, in loose bundles on long stalks near branch ends. Fruit and Seeds Pencil-like pods 5-10 cm long with constrictions between seeds. Habitat Floodplains, riverbanks, pastures, roadsides, woodland. Distinguishing Features Flattened leaf stalk with leaflets is distinctive. Impacts Forms dense thickets making land inacessible and sheltering pest animals. Causes erosion and can make water inaccessible.