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Fabaceae FAMILY

Vachellia seyal

Vachellia seyal

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

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

This species is more commonly found within 12° of the equator, especially in semi-arid areas[1]. It is found in an altitude range of 1,700 - 2,000 metres, growing best where the mean annual temperature is in the range 18 - 28°c and the mean annual rainfall is 250 - 1,000mm[1]. Grows best in a well-drained, neutral to acid soil[2]. It normally prefers heavy, clayey soils, stony gravely alluvial soils or humic soils[1]. This species is tolerant to a high pH in the range 6 - 8[1]. Plants also tolerate salts in the soil and periodic flooding[1]. The subspecies var. Fistula is more tolerant to waterlogging than var. Seyal[1]. Plants are tolerant of wind and salt spray[3]. On good sites, young trees can increase in height by more than 1 metre a year[4]. Trees managed on a 10 - 15 years rotation can yield 10 - 35 cubic metres of fuel wood per hectare per year[1]. Trees usually coppice very freely[4]. The flowers are borne in profusion and are spicy scented or sweet smelling[1]. Bees are the likely pollinators, the flowers yielding a white-coloured honey with mild aroma[1]. Flowering is concentrated in the middle of the dry season, with ripe fruits appearing 4 months later[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[3].

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]. About 30% germination of treated seed is usually obtained in about 7 days - the seed is often germinated on moist filter paper in order to allow rapid identification of the viable seeds, which are transferred to deep containers of silt-rich soil as soon as germination is observed[5]. Plants make a deep taproot and resent root disturbance, they should be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible[2]. Seed storage behaviour is orthodox. Viability can be maintained for several years in hermetic storage at 10 deg. C. With 4.5-9% mc[1]. Semi-ripe cuttings of lateral shoots[2]. Large cuttings are said to strike root readily in moist soils[6]. Root suckers[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vachellia+seyal>

Pollinators

Bees

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]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]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.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]Seed Leaflets — Various · Forest & Landscape. Denmark · http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title ↩︎A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
  6. [6]Handbook of Energy Crops — Duke. J. · - · 1983 · https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html · ISBN - ↩︎Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
  7. [7]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  8. [8]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
  9. [9]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.