Fabaceae FAMILY

Senegalia polyacantha

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

Especially in times of drought, many Acacia species can concentrate high levels of the toxin Hydrogen cyanide in their foliage, making them dangerous for herbivores to eat.

Botanical Description

White thorn tree is a fast-growing, deciduous tree growing about 10 - 25 metres tall. The tree has short, hooked thorns, usually less than 1cm long[ 396 Title Useful Trees and Shrubs in Eritrea Publication Author Bein. E.; Habte. B.; Jaber. A.; Birnie. A. & Tengnas. B. Publisher Regional Soil Conservation Unit: Nairobi Year 1996 ISBN 9966-896-24-4 Description A very well written and concise guide to almost 200 species. It gives a brief description of each plant together with its habitat, uses, propagation and cultivation. Line drawings of each plant are also included It can be downloaded from the internet ]. The tree is harvested from the wild as a lesser important but still commercial source of gum, which is edible. It is also used locally as a medicine and source of materials, whilst it also has a good reputation for repelling snakes and crocodiles. The plant is grown as a hedge and also for improving soil fertility.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical Africa - drier areas from Senegal to Ethiopia and Eritrea, south to Angola, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and the Transvaal.

HabitatWidespread, it is found in wooded grassland and woodland, usually on colluvial or alluvial clays and loams by rivers and streams at elevations of 50 - 1,460 metres[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ].