Vachellia abyssinica
Vachellia abyssinica
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
Vachellia abyssinica is a plant of the tropical and subtropical zones, where it is found at elevations up to 2,300 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 40°c[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -9°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 450 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 300 - 1,500mm[1]. Requires a sunny position[1]. Grows best in a well-drained soil of a light to medium texture[1]. A good plant for growing on degraded land and along gullies[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1]. The plant is grown as an ornamental. It is not recommended for growing around homesteads, however, since branches tend to fall off[1]. 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[1].
Propagation
Seed - the hard coat needs to be scarified in order to allow water to enter. It should then be pre-soaked for 24 hours in warm water prior to sowing[2]. Seed germinates best at a temperature around 21°c[2]. Germination rates, even of scarified seed, tends to be quite low, with the seeds sprouting within 30 - 50 days[3]. Plants make a deep taproot and resent root disturbance, they should be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible[2]. Semi-ripe cuttings of lateral shoots[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+abyssinica>
Pollinators
Wind, Insects
References
- [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [2]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.
- [3]Brazilian Trees. Volume 3. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2009 · ISBN 85-86714-34-4 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
- [4]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
- [5]The Useful Native Plants of Australia. — Maiden J.H. · Turner & Co.; London. · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [6]Vegetable Gums and Resins. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · ISBN 81-88818-17-8 ↩︎A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎