Senegalia mellifera

Black thorn acacia ( Acacia mellifera)

The blackthorn acacia ( Senegalia mellifera ( Vahl ) Seigler & Ebinger, Syn. Acacia mellifera ( Vahl ) Benth ) is a species of the genus Senegalia in the subfamily of the mimosa family ( Mimosoideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). It is distributed in all dry areas of North and South Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula.

Origin of the name

The specific epithet mellifera means as much as honey -supporting and refers to the sweet smelling flowers. The trivial names of both the German and the English blackthorn Blackthorn can be traced back to the wood of this kind which turns pitch black when oiling.

Description

Acacia mellifera can either 1 up to 7 meters high multi-stemmed shrub occur with more or less funnel- shaped crown, or as small einstämmiger tree with protruding crown that can reach heights of growth of up to 9 meters. Acacia mellifera can reproduce both by seed formation ( generative ) and by coppicing ( vegetative) and often forms an impenetrable thicket of more than 100 individuals.

Use

In the dry regions of Africa, the black thorn acacia is used among other things as fencing, feed and building materials for houses. In some places, even the floral nectar is used as food, but especially the milky sap as an emetic and the boiled bark is used to treat abdominal pain, pneumonia and malaria.