Species and distribution

Use

A. bussei (Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania)

Stem for central pole (undub), roots for hoops (digo), bark for covering mats (harrar) and chewed inner bark for thread to stitch mats of nomadic Somali huts. Branches cut for axe and hoe handles. Heavy clubs usually made from thicker part of the root. Roots also used for the wide mesh baskets used to protect large water or milk vessels. Unspecified part but presumably the root used for the revesting of wells on account of its resistance to rot and termites, also for wattle and daub walls. A preferred species for fuelwood; almost the sole species used for charcoal and lime burning. Foliage and pods eaten by livestock; flowers, which appear before the leaves at the end of the rains, an important part of the camel's diet. The soft and succulent young thorns eaten by the Somali and their livestock. Bark and root bark used for making cordage. An infusion of the lightly beaten inner side of the outer bark used for preparing a tea-like beverage. Bark used for tanning skins used for carrying water (see under A thebaica) for method of tanning).

A. edgeworthii (Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Socotra; Middle East)

Nearly ripe seeds eaten either cooked or raw. Tree browsed by goats and camels

A. etbaica (Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania)

Bark for covering mats (harrar) and chewed inner bark for thread to stitch mats of nomadic Somali huts. Branches for axe and hoe handles. Not liked for firewood because the bark does not readily fall off and consequently makes a smoky fire. Browsed by livestock. Bark used for making cordage. Bark also used for tanning skins used for carrying water. About 0.7 kg (1.5 lb) of outer bark plus a little inner bark pounded until soft and then placed in a bowl containing 1.4 litres (2.5 pints) of water. The liquid is then thoroughly rubbed into the skin, left soaking for an hour and then rubbed again for 15 minutes, and finally left to soak again.

A. mellifera

Stem for central pole (undab) of nomadic Somali huts. Browsed by livestock.

Subsp. mellifera (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Namibia; Middle East)

A. moggii (Somalia)

Natural gum exudate eaten by the Somali and animals

A. nilotica

subsp. indica (Iran, North and South Yemen, Qater, Pakistan India; introduced Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, Angola)

Roots used for the wide mesh baskets used to protect the large water and milk vessels. Green and dry pods eaten by both people and livestock. An excellent shade tree, regarded as suitable for planting in villages and at watering places.

A reficiens

subsp. misera (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya)

Roots for hoops (digo) of nomadic Somali huts. Browsed by livestock. Bark used for making cordage.

A. Senegal (Mauritania to Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania south to Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Middle East)

Stem for central pole (undab) of nomadic Somali huts. Branches for axe and hoe handles and heavy clubs. A preferred species for firewood. Foliage and pods eaten by livestock. Natural gum exudate eaten by the Somali and animals; the trees are not tapped although the natural exudate is collected and sold. Gum also used medicinally, mixed with milk and kept for a few days and then taken for back pains

A. tortilis

subsp. spirocarpa (Sudan, Ethiopia, Dijouti, Kenya, Tanzania south to Namibia and South Africa)

Roots used for hoops (digo), bark for covering mats and chewed inner bark for string to stitch mats of nomadic Somali huts. Branches for axe and hoe handles. Preferred browse for livestock because the green flush is the first available at the end of the dry season. Green and dry pods also eaten by both people and livestock. Bark used for making cordage. An excellent shade tree regarded as suitable for planting in villages and at watering points.

Acacia species

Branches, tree tops and main limbs for brush-wood thorn fences (hero or mus) to protect camp sites and livestock; the thorny branches are handled using a stick (handol) with a hook at one end for pulling and a "V" at the other end for pushing.

Species and distribution

Uses

A. ataxacantha (Liberia to Sudan and south through Kenya to Angola and South Africa)

Green, pared and dried branches used for granary lathes, hut walls and rafters under thatch; bundles of short torches used as night torches by honey collectors because of their resinous sap; preferred wet season firewood since the wood does not readily absorb moisture and will maintain flammability; gummy exudate from pounded leaves used to repair holes in gourd utensils; a pest in land clearance because it readily produces coppice regrowth

A. brevispica
subsp. brevispica (Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire, Angola)

Dry branches used by women to ignite hot kindling for a steady burn of charcoal for firing pottery; fibres from bark of young branches make a strong rope. Peeled branches for toothsticks; green, pared and dried branches used for granary lathes, hut walls and rafters under thatch; thicker branches used for digging sticks, bows and walking sticks bundles of short branches used as night torches by honey collectors because of their resinous sap; preferred wet season firewood since the wood does not readily absorb moisture and will maintain flammability; gummy exudate from pounded leaves used to repair holes in gourd utensils; sticky, sweet sap from young branches eaten by children; a pest in land clearance because it readily produces coppice regrowth.

A. drepanolobium (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zaire)

Short, forked boles used as Y-poles to suport granaries; stakes formerly used in pit-traps, now used for implement and tool handles; pegs made from heatwood used to climb baobab trees to gain access to bee hives, also to peg down hides while curing and drying; thorny branches for fencing and temporary cattle and goat pens; larger stems used for construction purposes; bee hives hung in the tree.

A. gerrardii (Nigeria, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, south to Botswana, South Africa)

Wood used for hut construction, firewood for tobacco barns and high quality charcoal; inner bark chewed for the resinous sap which is reputed to relieve coughing; flowers a source of bee food

A. hockii (Guinea to Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania south to Zimbabwe and Angola)

Browsed by goats, pods also eaten; wood not favoured for hut construction because of susceptibility to termites and rot; thorny branches used for cattle pens and fencing cultivated land; fibres of inner bark used for basketry; resinous sap edible, also used as an adhesive; flowers a good bee food

A. laeta (Egypt, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania; Middle East

Wood used for high quality charcoal; bark fibre used for building ties and for twisting into resinous torches for honey hunters and bee keepers; inner bark chewed for the resinous sap which is reputed to relieve coughing; flowers a source of bee food

A. mellifera subsp. mellifera (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Namibia)

Wood a highly prized pole timber, excellent slow-burning firewood and charcoal; branches used for cattle kraals; flowers for making beer, also source of bee food; inner bark used medicinally in the treatment of joint pains, malaria, fevers and coughs

A. nigrescens (Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa

Wood used for hut construction, firewood for tobacco barns and charcoal

A nilotica
subsp. subalata (Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania)

Pods eaten by wild life and livestock, especially goats; also eaten in times of famine; timber used for granary poles smaller limbs for digging sticks; excellent charcoal; bark preferred fuel for firing pottery; thorny branches for cattle pens; bark and inner bark make a stimulating tisane; fibres of inner bark used for basketry; sap rubbed on metal gives a rust-preventing black paint.; gum from stem or ripe pods used for attaching feathers to arrows; sap and shreds of bark act as a deterrent to bed bugs; the sharp thorns used for removing jiggers and during boys' circumcision, and when tough, thick and elastic, used for plugging insect holes in gourds; root bark used for treating coughs

A. polyacantha
subsp. campylacantha (Ghana to Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania south to South Africa)

wood used for hut construction, firewood for tobacco barns and charcoal

A. reficiens
subsp. misera (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya)

thorny branches used for livestock pens and protecting cultivated land; bark fibres used for clothing and basketry; sap sweet, potable

A robusta
subsp. usambarensis (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique)

poles

A. senegal (Mauritania to Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania south to Botswana, Namibia, South Africa; Asia)

Wood used for hut construction but not used for implement handles as it splinters badly; an important bee food; bee hives hung in the trees to escape the ravages of the rater or honey badger

A. seyal var. seyal (Mauritania to Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique)

Browsed by goats, pods also eaten; wood not favoured for hut construction because of susceptibility to termites and rot; thorny branches used for cattle pens and fencing cultivated land; fibres of inner bark used for basketry; resinous sap edible, also used as an adhesive; flowers a good bee food

A. thomsasii (Kenya, Tanzania)

An important bee food; bee hives hung in the trees to escape the ravages of the rater (honey badger)

A. tortilis
subsp. spirocarpa (Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania Namibia and South Africa)

pods eaten by wildlife and livestock; timbres of inner bark used for basketry, hut ties and for twisting into resinous torches for honey south to hunters and bee keepers; thorny branches used for cattle pens; flowers a source of bee food; hives hung in thorny branches as thorns deter raiding of the hives by the ratal (honey badger); inner bark chewed to alleviate coughing; trees near cultivated land sometimes pollarded to reduce perches of seed-eating birds; branches placed on graves to indicate deceased will see no more life.

Species and distribution

Uses

A. caffra (Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa)

Leaves and pods eaten by livestock but sometimes toxic. Excellent fencing posts and fuel. Bark infusion used by Zulus for blood disorders

A. erioloba (Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Namibia)

Gum slightly astringent, eaten by bushmen when clear and fresh, less palatable when discoloured. Pods avidly eaten by livestock, reported to improve lactation in cows but reputed to be toxic in some seasons. Wood used for pit props, wagons and fuelwood. Bark ash used for treating headaches.

A. erubescens (Tanzania, Zaire, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola; Namibia)

Gum eaten by bushmen

A. fleckii (Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola; Namibia)

Gum eaten by bushmen

A. galpinii (Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa)

Wood used for furniture

A. karroo (Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Lesotho, South Africa)

Gum edible, used in confectionery, also as an adhesive. Leaves, flowers and pods eaten by livestock. Wood a general purpose timber, no longer commercially exploited, used for furniture, fencing posts and fuel. Bark used for tanning and gives a red leather. Inner bark used for cordage. Infusion of bark given as antidote to cattle poisoned by Moraea.

A. luederitzii (Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, Swaziland)

Gum eaten by bushmen. Cortex of lateral roots used for quivers.

A. mellifera
subsp. detinens (Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Namibia)

Gum eaten by bushmen. Shoots, flowers and pods eagerly eaten by livestock. Wood used for fuel.

A. nebrownii (Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa)

Regarded as an indicator of underground water.

A. nilotica
subsp. kraussiana (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, South Africa)

Gum edible used in local confectionery. Wood used for fencing posts and fuel. Ink made from the pods. Decoction of the bark taken for coughs.

A. polyacantha
subsp. campylacantha (Ghana to Ethiopia south to South Africa)

Gum edible, used in local confectionery; also as an adhesive.

A. sieberana (Mali and Ivory Coast to Ethiopia and south to South Africa)

Pods eaten by livestock, green pods sometimes toxic. Wood of little value

A. tortilis
subsp. heteracantha (Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola; Namibia, Swaziland)

Gum eaten by bushmen. Leaves and pods eaten by livestock

subsp. spirocarpa (Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia south to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Namibia)

Leaves and pods eaten by livestock.

A. xanthophloea (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi. Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa)

Wood a general purpose timber

F. albida (North Africa to South Africa; Near East)

A decoction of the bark used in Namibia for treating diarrhoea.

Species and their distribution

Uses

A. gummifera (endemic to Morocco)

Browsed by horses and sheep. A source of fuelwood, charcoal, tool handles and other domestic uses. Yields an abundant gum, known as gomme ammoniaque, which is marketed locally.

A. karroo (introduced in Libya; southern Africa)

Grown for hedges.

A. laeta (Egypt; tropical Africa, Near and Middle East)

Yields a gum.

A. nilotica
subsp. nilotica (Egypt; tropical Africa; Near and Middle East)

Foliage and young pods eaten by livestock. Wood used for boat building, water wheels and lifts, water pipes, fuelwood and charcoal. Pods and bark used for tanning, especially goat skins. grown as a street tree. Gum exudate, bark, pods used in local medicine.

A. seyal (Egypt; tropical Africa, Near East)

Pods eaten by livestock. Gum exudate, wood, bark, leaves used in local medicine.

A. tortilis

Heartwood of high calorific value, excellent fuelwood and charcoal.

Subsp. raddiana (Western Sahara, Algeria, Libya, Egypt; tropical Africa)

Gum exudate, bark and seeds used in local medicine.

F. albida (Western Sahara, Algeria, Egypt; tropical Africa, Near and Middle East)

Browsed by livestock. Fruit edible. Timber used for furniture, joinery, etc. Bark used in local medicine.

Species and distribution

Uses

ARABIA

A. abyssinica subsp. abyssinica (Yemen, Saudi Arabia; Africa)

Browsed by livestock

A. etbaica subsp. etbaica (Saudi Arabia; Africa)

Uses probably similar to subsp. uncinata.

Subsp. uncinata (Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia; Africa)

Little valued for browse, the foliage being regarded as too 'hot'. Wood provides excellent, slowly burning fuelwood giving great heat and little smoke. Ash from dead wood used as snuff or added to tobacco to increase acridity. Regarded as the best tanning agent in Dhofar for waterproofing domestic leather articles; the dried cut branches beaten for leaves, pods, growing tips and twiglets, which are collected and stored. Finely ground, a leaf paste is smeared over the depilated skin and vigorously rubbed in; mixed with the dried leaves and stems of Loranthus schimperi for tanning butter-making skins. The red guns exudate not eaten and of no medical significance.

A. iraqensis (Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Sinai)

Foliage and pods eaten by camels and goats. A source of excellent fuelwood and good charcoal but quality inferior to that of A. senegal and A. tortilis. Underbark twisted into threads for emergency repairs and patching and, when dyed black, by women for binding plaits of hair. Resin edible but of no medical significance.

A. karroo (introduced in Iraq; Africa)

Grown for impenetrable hedges.

A. laeta (Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel. Syria, introduced Iran; Africa)

Leaves and pods are browsed by livestock.

A. nilotica sensu lato (Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Syria, India; Africa)

Foliage and pods eaten by camels, sheep and goats in times of scarcity. Timber for beams, agricultural implements, cart wheels, Persian wheels, boats, sleepers, brake blocks, etc. Bark and pods for tanning. Branches used for brushwood fences. Browsed only by hungry livestock, pods ignored.

Subsp. kraussiana (Iraq, Yemen, Oman; Africa)

Crushed pods gives a rich mahogany-red colour to leather as well as apparently enhancing its suppleness and tensile strength. Wood used in lime kilns, carvings, bed frames, domestic articles, etc. also fire-hardened and oiled for spears and arrows. Paste of crushed and pounded fresh leaves used to poultice boils and swellings, to relieve inflamation and draw pus.

Subsp. nilotica (Iran, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen; Africa)

The fruit can be used to control aquatic algal growth; 400 kg of the fruit in a 50,000 m³ completely suppressed a massive algal growth in 4 days, neither the fish, amphibians or insects were affected.

Subsp. tomentosa (Iran, Saudi Arabia; Africa)

Browsed by livestock.

A. oerfota (Iran, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia; Africa)

Avoided by livestock except in times of exceptional hunger. Paste of crushed and ground new shoot tips used as a depilatory before tanning, occasionally in conjunction with leaves of Pergularia spp.; crushed leaves and twigs also rubbed into skin with plenty of salt and buttermilk, skin then buried for 1-2 days before being dug up and hairs scraped off. Gum inedible, of no medicinal value

A. senegal (Oman, India, Pakistan; Africa)

Browsed by livestock, especially goats and camels, reputed to fatten livestock and enrich milk. Pods fed to sick, delicate or parturient livestock, increasing milk yield. A good source of bee food. Wood excellent for construction purposes, especially livestock pens, also for weavers' shuttles. Woven branches formerly used for fish traps. An excellent slow-burning fuelwood giving intense heat and little smoke, also for charcoal. Dried and crumbled inner dead wood an important source of tinder. Strips of underbark used to tan leather, often strengthed with material from A. etbaica. Dried, crushed and powdered bark used to pack and infected wound to disinfect and ward off further infection and gangrene. Powdered, reddish-brown gum exudate mixed with fat or grease used to annoint body. The fresh gum exudate being used as a depilatory. Solution of gum drunk on an empty stomach used to relieve chest pains. Eating gum reputed to strengthen stomach muscles; excessive eating of gum can cause flatulence and some discomfort. Gum highly nutritious, 175 g sufficient to support an adult for 24 hours.

A. seyal (Yemen, Saudi Arabia; Africa)

Cut for fuelwood and charcoal around Riyadh.

A. tortilis

Edible seeds, browse, wood, fuel, medicine, etc.

subsp. raddiana (Saudi Arabia; Africa)

Browsed bt livestock. Bark fibres twisted into cordage. Other uses probably same as for subsp. tortilis

subsp. spirocarpa (Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Syria; Africa)

Uses probably same as for subsp. tortilis

subsp. tortilis (Yemen, Oman, Qater, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates; Africa)

An important source of shade and browse for camels and goats. Green branches lopped; pods stored and fed to lactating, young, weak or sick livestock. An attractive bee food; honey hunters trace bees returning from the tree to their hives. Wood unsuitable for utensils as it rots from the inside out; used for fuelwood and charcoal, burning with great heat and little smoke. Ash used for snuff. Slithers of the heartwood from dead branches may be dried, stored and used as tinder. Thorny branches used for pens. Short lengths of threads twisted from the underbark for emergency repairs and patching The resin is regarded as inedible and of no medicinal value. New shoots ground to a paste, added to frehly drawn milk and boilded down to make a poultice for mastitis.

F. albida (Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Lebanon, Syria; Africa)

A valuable dry season browse. Wood used for fuel.

INDIA

A. hydnaspica (Iran, Pakistan, India)

Browsed by camels and goats. Wood used for fuel.

A. jaquemontii (Iraq, Pakistan, India)

Branches lopped, threshed and leaves stored for fodder. Charcoal gives intense heat, used by gold-, silver- and black-smiths. Bark used for tanning leather, giving black or brown colour. Root bark used in the distillation of spirits. Tree a good sand binder.

A. leucophloea (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Java)

The whitish bark and seeds ground and mixed with flour in times of scarcity; the young pods may also be eaten. The pods are also used for fodder. The wood used for agricultural implements, oil mills, carts, wheels, turnery and fuel. Bark fibre may be used for making fishing nets and coarse cordage. The bark is a good substitute for wattle bark from Senna auriculata (syn. Cassia auriculata) and C. fistula for tanning leather; the bark also has the property of clarifying and flavouring spirits made from sugar and palm sap. The bark is bitter, astringent and cooling. The gum exudate is used in local medicines.

A. modesta (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India)

Wood used for cane crushers, Persian wheels, agricultural implements and fuelwood. Gum used in local medicine, fresh twigs for cleaning teeth. Widely planted for hedges.

A. nilotica sensu lato (Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Syria, India; Africa)

Foliage and pods eaten by camels, sheep and goats in times of scarcity. Timber for beams, agricultural implements, cart wheels, Persian wheels, boats, sleepers, brake blocks, etc. Bark and pods for tanning. Gum used as a substitute for gum arable. Branches used for brushwood fences. Cultivated for hedges and as ornamental.

Subsp. cupressiformis (Pakistan, India)

Planted for agroforestry and windbreaks around fields.

Subsp. indica (Iran, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, India, Pakistan)

Wood used for building purposes, spokes, wheels, oil presses, tent pegs, agricultural implements and fuel, Bark and deseeded pods used for tanning. Gum exudate used in calico printing, paints and medicines. Branches lopped for fodder; pods best fed dry as a supplement rather than eaten green. Dried pods used to supplement poultry rations. Planted for agroforestry and windbreaks around fields, rehabilitation of degraded saline and alkaline soils, coal mine waste heaps; also under irrigatation with tannery effluents; a good host of Santalum album (Indian sandalwood). An important host of the lac insect Tachardia lacca in the Sind, the source of shellac.

A. senegal (Oman, India, Pakistan; Africa)

Seeds eaten as a vegetable. Source of commercial gum arable.