Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Vachellia leucospira

Edibility

2/5

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 leucospira is a multi-stemmed, low-growing, spreading shrub, growing up to 1 metre tall The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. Vachellia leucospira is endemic to Somalia, occurring in four different regions there. The species has often been described as common in its natural habitat and no major threats are known to affect it at the present time. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeNortheastern Africa - Somalia

HabitatLow scrubland, growing in gypsum and gypseous limestone soils; in overgrazed Acacia-Commiphora open bushland; at elevations from 210 - 620 metres[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].