Vachellia abyssinica, the flat top acacia, is a tree up to 16 m tall.

On younger trees it is pale yellowish-brown, peeling off in papery wads.

Leaves are in pinnae pairs of 20-40; the leaflets are very small, up to 4 × 0.75 mm.

The inflorescence is arranged in white spherical heads.

[2] From Ethiopia southwards to Zimbabwe and Mozambique and westwards to Angola.