Caesalpinia bracteata is a shrub from the arid inland of South Africa near the Gariep River. It is a member of the Fabaceae family with blue-green compound leaves.

It grows light brown erect, branched stems with leaves clustered at the tips. Southern Africa is the natural home to only seven of the 200 species of Caesalpinia, this being one of three indigenous to South Africa.

Several exotic members of the genus have been introduced into the South Africa, the scrambling C. decapetala now a noted weed and invader (www.biodiversityexplorer.org).