Local name(s)
**
General description
A
usually small acacia, 2-4m high with a rather open crown. Occasionally a tree to
8m. The bark is yellow to greenish yellow, peeling. Thorns are paired, straight
on relatively few branches. Flowers are in yellow or orange heads. The pods are
reddish brown, narrow, straight or crescent shaped.
Edible part(s),
preparation methods and palatability
Inside
of the bark is edible. The inner bark fibre is chewed for its juice which has a
sweet taste. The gum is also edible. The bark is taken off the tree and
immediately the inside of the bark is scratched off and consumed. This measure
is only taken when there is extreme food shortage.
Agroecology
Grows
from West Africa to Sudan and south to Mozambique. Common on sloping rocky
bushed grassland, from sea level to 2,400m. The tree is associated with poor
soils, especially sands where it often becomes the dominant shrub.
Propagation
method(s)
**
Sample location
(s)