Fabaceae FAMILY

Vachellia etbaica

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

Especially in times of drought, many Acacia species can concentrate high levels of the toxin Hydrogen cyanide in their foliage, making them dangerous for herbivores to eat.

Botanical Description

Vachellia etbaica is a shrub or small tree with an open, often flattened crown; it can grow from 2.5 - 12 metres tall. The plant has sharp spines up to 28mm long, carried in pairs[ 396 Title Useful Trees and Shrubs in Eritrea Publication Author Bein. E.; Habte. B.; Jaber. A.; Birnie. A. & Tengnas. B. Publisher Regional Soil Conservation Unit: Nairobi Year 1996 ISBN 9966-896-24-4 Description A very well written and concise guide to almost 200 species. It gives a brief description of each plant together with its habitat, uses, propagation and cultivation. Line drawings of each plant are also included It can be downloaded from the internet ]. The tree has minor local uses as a timber and source of tannins, plus it also has local medicinal applications.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeNortheastern Africa - Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania.

HabitatDry bushland, thickets, semi-desert scrub and wooded grasslands at elevations from sea level to 1,800 metres[ 303 Title World Agroforesty Centre Publication Author Website http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc. ].