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Fabaceae FAMILY

Vachellia cornigera

Vachellia cornigera

Edibility
3/5
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

HabitTree
Growth—

The trees' hollow thorns are inhabited by aggressive, symbiotic ants who rapidly attack any percieved threat to the tree, including browsing mammals. In return the ants receive nourishment from the tree's leafstalks and leaflet tips[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.

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+cornigera>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Botanical Beads — Smith R.J. · http://www.botanicalbeads.com/ ↩︎A website looking at seeds that are used for ornament. It is based on a book that the author had written.
  2. [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. [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. [4]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  5. [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. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎