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Fabaceae FAMILY

Senegalia polyacantha

Senegalia polyacantha

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.

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

The white thorn tree grows in tropical areas at elevations from 200 - 1,800 metres[1]. It prefers areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 300 - 1,000mm[1]. Prefers sites with a high groundwater table, indicating eutrophic and fresh soils[1]. Prefers alluvial soils with a good mix of clay and sand, though it occasionally prospers on stony slopes and compacted soils[1]. Young plants have a fast rate of growth[2]. Like most acacias, flowering depends highly on the rains. The cream-white, sessile flowers are inserted in spikes up to 15 cm long. They are produced together with new leaves. After pollination by insects, straight fruits with distinctly narrow, thickened margin are developed within 6 months, fruits are tapered on both ends. When mature the pods turn greyish-brown. The seeding period can be observed approximately 6 months after flowering[1]. Plants can be coppiced and pollarded[3]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[4].

Propagation

Seed - requires pre-soaking or scarification. To scarify, the seed coat should be nicked at the distal (cotyledon) end using a sharp tool like a scalpel, knife or nail clipper[1]. Large quantities of seeds should be treated by pouring boiling water on them in a vessel. Then the seeds should be left for 24 hours in the water as it cools[1]. Under ideal conditions, the seeds germinate within 10-21 days[1]. The expected germination rate of mature, healthy and properly treated seed is 60-90%[1]. Mature and properly dried seeds can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for at least 1 year, and at 10c for several years so long as the seed is not attacked by insects[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Senegalia+polyacantha>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]Trees and Shrubs of the Sahel. Their Characteristics and Uses. — von Maydell H. · Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit; Germany · 1990 · ISBN 3-8236-1198-4 ↩︎A well-researched book, usually with more than one photograph of each species and good information on the plant and its uses.
  3. [3]Useful Trees and Shrubs in Eritrea — Bein. E.; Habte. B.; Jaber. A.; Birnie. A. & Tengnas. B. · Regional Soil Conservation Unit: Nairobi · 1996 · ISBN 9966-896-24-4 ↩︎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
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  5. [5]Flora Zambesiaca — http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html ↩︎An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
  6. [6]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  7. [7]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  8. [8]Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. — Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D · Frontier · http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm · ISBN 1-873070-33-0 ↩︎A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet.