Jerusalem Thorn
Parkinsonia aculeata

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

Parkinsonia aculeata is an evergreen Tree growing to 7.5 m (24ft) by 7.5 m (24ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, Birds. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Height (m): 7.5

Where it is found

Semi-desert vegetation, mainly in desert valleys and desert grassland zones, at elevations up to 1,300 metres in the subtropics and up to 2,400 metres in the tropics.

S. America - Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Angola, Antilles, Asia, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil*, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central America, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesser Antilles, Libya, Marquesas, Martinique, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Sahel, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Uruguay, USA*, Venezuela, Vietnam

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Seed - raw or cooked. The mature seed is dried, then cooked when required. The seeds are rich in protein (they contain around 21% protein, 62% carbohydrate and 8% fat) and have the potential for use as human food . The dried, powdered seed has a digestibility rating of 76%, increasing to 85% when cooked - this is higher than for many of the commonly eaten legume foods. The seeds do contain antinutritional factors, including trypsin inhibitors, phenols, alkaloids and haemagglutinin, but these are not present in high enough concentration to constitute a major nutritional problem. These anti-nutritional factors are soluble in saline solutions and can be removed by soaking or during cooking. Fruit - raw. The pulp inside the seedpod has a sweet flavour, containing up to 60% sugars.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 2

Leaf, fruit and stem decoctions are taken orally and applied externally to treat fever, atony and malaria. The decoction is also said to be abortifacient. Flower and leaf extractions in alcohol are applied as a poultice to treat rheumatism.

Abortifacient: Causes an abortion.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Malaria: Treats malaria - an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites spread to people through the bites of mosquitos.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Other

Rating: 3

Agroforestry Uses: The tree is used for erosion control and reforestation in sandy, arid areas. It is a useful plant for the reclamation of wastelands, gullied areas and mining spoil. It provides a large amount of leaf litter that can be applied as a mulch to the soil. The plant forms impenetrable hedges and makes an effective windbreak. Other Uses: The heartwood is light brown; it is clearly demarcated from the thick band of yellowish sapwood. The wood is close-grained, moderately heavy, hard, very compact and of high durability. Where available in sufficient size it is used for general carpentry, otherwise it is used for light poles and posts. The wood burns well and makes a good fuel, it is also used to make charcoal. Fodder (pods and leaves) .

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.

Soil conditioner: Plants grown to improve the structure of the soil. See also Green manures.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Fodder: Pod: Fodder plants with pods.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Fodder: Pod: Fodder plants with pods.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Hedge: Hedge

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

A plant of the semi-arid tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,400 metres in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 32°c, but can tolerate 16 - 36°c. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -4°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 300 - 700mm, but tolerates 200 - 1,000mm. Requires a sunny position. Succeeds in well-drained, sandy to loamy soils. Tolerant of poor, gravely or sandy soils. Plants can tolerate moderate levels of salt in the soil. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8.5. Plants can withstand droughts of up to 9 months. The tree reproduces so easily that it can escape from controlled cultivation and become a weed. It forms impenetrable thorny thickets that compete with and exclude native species. The tree is fast-growing but short-lived. It can reach a height of 2.5 metres within 2 years from seed. Young fertilized plants can grow up to 1 metre annually. The branches of wild plants are often hollow and inhabited by ants. There are conflicting reports on whether or not this tree has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, so it is unclear as to whether this tree fixes atmospheric nitrogen.

Propagating it: Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and benefits from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Sow the seed in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. A high germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 8 - 16 days. The plants should be ready to plant out 8 - 10 months later.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 9-11

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

The leaves are reported to contain hydrocyanic acid and to be toxic.

The tree reproduces so easily that it can escape from controlled cultivation and become a weed. P. aculeata is a major invasive species in Australia, as it is listed as a Weed of National Significance and is ranked as Australia's worst weed. It is also a major problem in parts of tropical Africa, Hawaii, and other Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Its other names

Local names

Adanti, Balati kikar, Barbados flower fence, Cemaraan, Cina cina, Espinillo, Garabato, Geed walaayo, Kim tuoc chi, Kunto-barbariae, Mexican palo verde, Muk-bee, Mya-sein, Myinsa-goni, Okwato, Palo verde, Pardeshi baval, Parkinsonia, Ram baval, Ratamah, Ratta-maa, Retamo rojo, Retma, Sima tumma, Vilayati babul, Vilayati kikar, horse bean, horse-bean, horsebean, jelly bean tree, Jerusalem thorn, Mexican paloverde, palo verde, retaima, sessaban

Synonyms

Parkinsonia thornberi M.E.Jones