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Species
name
Acacia tortilis
1(Forssk.)
Hayne
Family
Mimosaceae
(Fabaceae)
Local name(s)
Deweni
grar (Amargna), Abak, Akab, Qura, Ora, Timad (Somali), Behbey (Afargna), Dadach
(Borenagna), Lotoba, Tedecha (Oromiffaa), Shera (Gamogna), Akiba, Aqba (Tigrigna),
Tsi (Sahogna), Umbrella thorn (Engl.)
General description
A
spiny acacia, usually 4-8m high but reaching 20m in riverine vegetation. The
crown is narrow when young, spreading, flat-topped and umbrella-like at
maturity. The bark is longitudinally fissured and dark grey. Branches are armed
at each node with a straight white thorn as well as two short grey sharply
recurved spines. Flowers are in white heads. The fruit is a grey-yellow to brown
pod, often curled into a ring are crescent shape. The seeds are smooth and
greenish grey.
Edible part(s),
preparation methods and palatability
Ripe
fresh pods are eaten but the seeds are normally discarded, except in times of
extreme food shortage. Then seeds are eaten as well. The crunchy pods have a
faint sweet taste. Besides the pods the gum can also be eaten but is of inferior
quality, is sticky and may cause choking. It is a typical famine food and a last
resource in Somali Region of Ethiopia where it is collected by children and
women when other foodstuff gets scarce. When rains fail or are insufficient for
a number of other wild foodstuffs to grow, seedpods from A. tortilis are
a secure food than can be picked at the end of a severe drought period after
seasonal rains were not successful. Furthermore, the inner bark can be chewed to
relieve thirst. Nutritional
value Commercial
use
A.
tortilis
is the most important acacia among pastoral communities. Pods can be sold as
human and livestock food. Two handfuls of fresh pods sold in Kolo'aan, Boh
Woreda, Warder Zone, Somali Region, for 500 Somali Shillings, even during
drought periods when people run out of money and experience hardship anyway.
Also fuel wood and charcoal prepared from this species are widely sold on local
markets and along commercial tracks in Somali Region. Agroecology
The
species is widely spread in tropical and subtropical Africa from Algeria and
Senegal to Eritrea and south to Angola, Namibia and Mozambique. Widespread in
Ethiopia and neighbouring countries in dry bushland, bushed grassland, wooded
grassland, riverine vegetation and arid-land scrub (600m - 1,500m). The soils on
which A. tortilis grow are very variable, from sandy to black cotton and
also common on red soils. It is among the most drought resistant acacia species
and grows with 200-900mm of rainfall. Propagation
method(s) & management
Propagates
by seedlings and wildlings. Its a slow-growing tree species but if well managed
on dry sandy soils it grown relatively fast. Storage of seeds does not make any
problem as the viability of the seeds remains for a long time. Seed dormancy can
be broken when passing trough an animal gut, by scarification, bush fire or by
hot water treatment. Young plants have to protected from goats.
Sample location
(s)
Warder,
Danot, Boh and Geladin Woredas of Warder Zone, Somali Region.
Remarks
As the species is very drought-resistant, it has a high potential for
desert reclamation. In pastoral communities this species is of multipurpose
use. Products are derived that directly or indirectly contribute to pastoral
communities livelihoods and survival in times of extreme drought or other
difficulties. Therefore, A. tortilis is in many ways of high potential
and should be promoted in semi-arid areas.
1
Parts
of the following description have been taken from Maundu et al., 1999: p.49/50;
Bekele-Tesemma et al., 1993: p.68/69; and Huxham et al., 1998: p.10/11
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Mature A. tortilis
tree in Boh woreda of Warder Zone, Somali Region, July 2001
Flowers
(very top) and seedpods on the tree (middle) and dried in hand (top), Somali
Region, July 2001
Children
in Danot settlement consuming fresh seed pods, Danot Woreda, Warder Zone,
Somali Region, July 2001
A.
tortilis seedpods
collected by women in Danot settlement, July 2001 |
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