Vachellia tortuosa (Twisted Acacia)

Native to the Caribbean and northern and western South America, this thorny shrub or small tree grows to about 20 feet tall in seasonally dry tropical habitats. Its slender, often zigzagging branches carry paired straight spines and finely divided foliage. Rounded heads of yellow flowers appear intermittently through the year. The dark brown to black seed pods are narrow, slightly curved and constricted between the seeds, and remain closed when mature. In Colombia, it occurs in the Caribbean lowlands and inter-Andean valleys. It has been introduced to Florida. Photographed in Colombia.