The first thing to observe about the acacia is that its bark is rough, not unlike the bark of the poplar. It is important to note what is meant by rough; as with all terminology, tree terminolgy is specific to itself. The other thing to note, if you visit at the right time of year, is the small oval shaped leaves which are formed in pinnate compound style (see tree identification section).

              The acacia is similar to, although it is bigger than, the honey locust, which can also be seen near the Tower of London in Seething Lane. In fact, sometimes the acacia is referred to as the black locust.