Acacia macrostachya

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It forms thickets in the drier region of West Africa. It grows in the Sahel. It can grow on very poor soils. It grows in areas with annual rainfalls between 400-1,400 mm. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

The seeds are sometimes boiled and eaten. They can be dried and stored. The fruit is used as a sauce. The gum is edible.

Edible parts

Seeds, gum, seed pod

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Batare, Bihongaga, Bu ngoho, Bula-bali, Bule, Bu ngoho, Burle, Fu likot, Fungo, Ga-ngor-tot, Gaude, Klealin, Kpessagotigou, Nafungwe, Pau-de-ferida, Pau-ferida, Quide, Tanda-sara, Tchide, Zamanega

Synonyms

Acacia ataxacantha sensu P. Sousa;