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Fabaceae FAMILY

Vachellia drepanolobium

Vachellia drepanolobium

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

HabitShrub
Growth—

Vachellia drepanolobium grows in tropical regions of eastern Africa in areas where the mean annual rainfal is within the range 500 - 1,300mm[1]. Vachellia drepanolobium is probably the most common Acacia in eastern Africa and, in areas such as Ethiopia it is considered by some to be an invasive species that reduces the quality of pasture on the range. Other research, however, has suggested that it can actually lead to an increase in productivity and palatability of the range by encouraging more productive grass species to grow under its canopy[2]. This species is cultivated in parts of east Africa for the production of gum arabic[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.

Propagation

The seed of most, if not all, members of this genus has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Acacia seeds that have matured fully on the bush and have been properly dried have a hard seed coat and can be stored in closed containers without deterioration for 5 - 10 years or more in dry conditions at ambient temperatures. It is best to remove the aril, which attracts weevils and can lead to moulds forming. The arils are easilyremoved by placing the seeds in water and rubbing them between the hands, then drying the seeds and winnowing them[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+drepanolobium>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Traditional Food Plants of Kenya — Patrick M Maundu · Kenya Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge, National Museums · 1999 · ISBN 9966986146 ↩︎A concise guide to the edible plants of Kenya
  2. [2]Encroachment of Acacia brevispica and Acacia drepanolobium in Semi-Arid Rangelands of Ethiopia and their Influence o — Beyene S.; Mlambo V. · 2010 · ISBN 10.3923/rjb.2010. ↩︎
  3. [3]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  4. [4]Potential of Australian Acacias in combating hunger in semi-arid lands — Rinaudo A.; Patel P.; Thomson L.A.J. · 2002 ↩︎
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]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.
  7. [7]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.
  8. [8]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎