Grey-haired acacia is indigenous to Uganda. It occurs at 450 2200 m altitude on soils ranging from loamy to clayey, most often in wooded savanna, woodland and occasionally in riverine forest. Common in wooded grassland and woodlands of Nyabushozi County of Mbarara District and in North Eastern Region, 1,300-2,000 m. They are sometimes riverine in arid and semi-arid areas. In Kampala, Acacia gerrardi can be found at Makerere II zone C, Bombo Road among other places.

A shrub or tree to 15 m, somewhat flattened or irregular crown. Trunk can attain 20 30 cm in diameter.

BARK: rough, grey-brown, grooved; branchlets hairy.

THORNS: very short, straight or hooked, tips brown.

LEAVES: bipinnate, 5-12 pairs pinnae, leaflets noticeably hairy.

FLOWERS: round, cream heads, stalks hairy.

FRUIT: brown pods, smooth grey-brown with darker dots, veins clear, slightly curved, to 22 cm long, about 2 cm wide, in clusters; seeds flat, about 1 cm long.

The bark is used for making ropes and twine.

Agroforestry: leaves and pods are eaten by animals, provides only light shade and does not depress growth of the fodder species beneath, suitable for stabilizing and reclaiming mine waste and ash, fixes nitrogen in the soil, the thorny branches are used to make fences for livestock enclosures ('bomas'), used in apiculture (Honey bees feed on the flowers).

An ornamental tree.

The wood is used as timber, for carvings, small furniture, poles, posts, tool handles.

Provides fuelwood and for charcoal production.

A soup is made from the bark.

Medicine: bark, the leaves, roots, and pods. https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Acacia_gerrardii_(PROTA)