Acacia–Commiphora bushland is the predominant plant community of northeastern tropical Africa. It occurs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania. It is made up of dense shrubs 3 to 5 meters tall, with scattered emergent trees growing up to 9 meters tall. The predominant species are acacias (genera ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

Senegalia ''Senegalia'' (from Senegal and '' Acacia senegal'' (L.) Willd.) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the Mimosoid clade. Until 2005, its species were considered members of ''Acacia.'' The genus was considered po ...

'', and ''

Vachellia ''Vachellia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or acacias. It belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae. Its species were considered members of genus '' Acacia'' until 2009. ''Vachellia'' ...

'') and species of ''

Commiphora ''Commiphora'' is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of A ...

''. Many acacias and some ''Commiphora''s are spiny, and can form impenetrable thickets. Most trees and shrubs are deciduous, shedding their leaves in the dry season, with evergreen trees and shrubs making up 2.5 to 10% of the total mass of plants.

Ecoregions

Three ''Acacia–Commiphora'' ecoregions are recognized. *

Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

– northwestern, central, and southwestern

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, southwestern Somalia, and southeastern

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

* Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets – southeastern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya, and central Somalia *

Southern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express ...

– southwestern Kenya and northern and central Tanzania

References

{{Reflist Afrotropical ecoregions Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands