White-thorn, Apple ring acacia
Faidherbia albida

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A very large spreading tree. It grows up to 20-31 m tall. The trunk can be 1 m across. The trunk is light grey. The leaves are fine and drooping. The leaves can be light green or blue-green. The twigs are white and smooth. It has thorns which are straight and 4 cm long. They are white at the base and brown at the tips. They occur in pairs. Each leaf has 4-8 side branches although there can be 2-12 branches. These carry 6-23 pairs of small oblong leaflets. The leaf stalk does not have glands. It is leafless during the rainy season and has leaves during the dry season. The flowers are long cream spikes. The pods are large - about 10 cm long by 2.5 cm wide. They are red brown and twisted or almost curled into a ring. The pods do not burst open. The pods contain several hard shiny seeds. These are edible after processing. The seeds are 9-11 mm long by 6-8 mm wide.

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

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It mostly grows on river banks and river flats and can grow on sandy soils. It can be damaged by frost. It grows in dry savannah but prefers damp sites and river banks. In southern Africa it grows between 40-1,070 m altitude. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 20-1,800 mm. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Algeria, Angola, Asia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Cyprus, East Africa, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Iran, Israel, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are boiled, then re-boiled and the skins removed then eaten in times of food scarcity. This is done to remove toxic components. The pods are sometimes eaten. The pods are used for flavouring. Caution: The seeds can contain hydrogen cyanide and would need to be cooked.

A famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds, leaves, young pods, gum, caution

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds. The seeds are put in boiling water and soaked overnight then planted. It can be cut back and will re-grow.

Trees grow quickly. They can be 7 m high in 3 years. It develops its first fruit after 2-15 years. A large tree can yield a ton of pods.

Its other names

Local names

Afrar, Ana tree, Anaboom, Apple ring acacia, Apple-ring thorn-tree, Betam-pale, Bioepi, Biongomo, Borassam-o, Borassanhe, Bubirique, Buladanelhe, Bule, Burle-danedjo, Busseu-uliba, Butchampele, Cad, Camude, Camudo, Djue, Ferida-branco, Gawo, Gozanga, Herero, Icuti, Karau, M'suango, Marrone, Msangu, Msangumsangu, Mucesi, Munga-nunsyi, Munga, Musanga, Musenga, Mutsangu, Nsangu, Omue, Pau-ferida, Po-de-ferida-branco, Sipana-brabu, Sipina, Soango, Umpumbu, Ussimpulo, Winter thorn

Synonyms

Acacia albida Delile; Acacia mossambicensis Bolle; Prosopis kirkii Oliv.; and others