Vachellia karroo
(Hayne) Banfi & Gallaso
Karroo Thorn, Cape gum
no rights reserved, uploaded by Riaan Stals
(c) grinnin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by grinnin
(c) Igmar Grewar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Igmar Grewar
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds - coffee, Gum, Bark, Roots, Seeds, Leaves - coffee
The gum obtained from the stems is eaten as a confection. Roasted seeds are used as a coffee substitute. Children chew the sweet thorns.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
This is a native of Southern Africa. It prefers light to medium soils They need to be well drained. It requires a sunny protected position. It can resist drought and frost. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 50-1,500 mm. It grows between 3-2,400 m above sea level. It grows in coastal scrub and woodland and along streams. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
Africa, Angola, Australia, Botswana, Central Africa, Cyprus, East Africa, Egypt, Eswatini, Europe, Lesotho, India, Iraq, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, North Africa, Portugal, South Africa, Southern Africa, Spain, St Helena, Swaziland, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
An evergreen shrub or small tree. It grows to 5 m tall and 3 m wide. It can be 15 m tall. The stem is erect. It has spines. The spines are silvery white with a black tip. The spines or thorns can be 7 cm long. The bark is rough and grey-black. The bark peals off to show a rust red colour underneath. The branches are spreading. The leaves (phyllodes) are grey and divided twice. They are 10 cm long. There are 8-20 pairs of leaflets. The flowers are pale yellow. They have a sweet smell. They flowers occur in dense clusters. The pods are 12.5 cm long and narrow. The pods curve to a sickle shape. When ripe they are dark brown.
Nutrition Score: 58/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gum | 13.9 | 1308 | 313 | 6.8 | — | — | 16.6 | 0.3 |
| Seeds - coffee | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How to Grow
It is grown from seed. The seed needs to be treated to break the hard seed coat. Normally this is by putting the seeds in very hot water and letting the water cool down overnight then planting the seeds immediately. Seeds grow quickly. Seeds germinate in 3-12 days and can be transplanted when young.
Propagation: Soak seeds in hot water, leave them to cool overnight, and sow the following morning. Seeds can be sown directly into small nursery bags or into flat seedling trays filled with seedling mix. Germination occurs within 3–12 days. Within its natural range, the species is reported to be easy to raise from seed and has been planted widely for firewood on experimental plots in South Africa and Botswana.
Medicinal Uses
A root infusion is taken to treat pain in the alimentary canal, rheumatism, convulsions, gonorrhoea, and as an aphrodisiac. Root powder is applied externally to penile sores to treat syphilis. A decoction of the bark is used as an emetic for treating diarrhoea.
Other Uses
Vachellia karroo is widely used as a rehabilitation plant on degraded sites and dunes. It produces a flush of new leaves during the hottest period, before the rains, providing shade that reduces soil temperatures. It supports the development of an understorey of perennial, palatable, and nutritious grasses such as Cenchrus ciliaris and Panicum maximum through shade provision, nitrogen fixation, and improved soil structure and water infiltration. As a pioneer species, it has a climax of around 40 years and occupies a successional position between tropical forest and bushveld. Its long flowering season makes it valuable for apiculture, with bees collecting both pollen and nectar. Large specimens can indicate underground water sources. A gum obtained from the stems resembles gum arabic and is used regionally in southern Africa as a substitute, though it has not been cleared for export to Europe or the USA due to unresolved toxin testing. Annual gum production is 25–30 t/ha. The bark and seedpods yield tannins that impart a reddish colour; the bark contains up to 19% tannins. The Nama people of southern Africa extract a red dye from the bark and use the root bark for twine and rope in traditional mat house construction. The wood is hard, tough, and moderately durable, though few trees reach commercial size. It saws easily, planes to a smooth finish, and glues and varnishes well, making it suitable for furniture and interior finishing. It is, however, prone to twisting during seasoning and is susceptible to borers and fungi. It pulps readily under standard kraft macro-pulping conditions. The wood burns brightly with very little smoke and no odour, splits easily, and does not reabsorb moisture once dried. Its calcium oxalate crystals produce high-temperature, long-lasting embers, making it excellent firewood for cooking and heating. It is also regarded as a fine charcoal source, particularly in the coastal dunes of Zululand, South Africa.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Vachellia karroo, (synonym Acacia karroo) commonly known as the sweet thorn, common acacia, Karoo thorn, Cape gum or cockspur thorn, is a species of Vachellia, in the Mimosa sub-family (Mimosoideae) of the Fabaceae or pea family, which is native to southern Africa from southern Angola east to Mozambique, and south to South Africa. It is a shrub or small to medium-sized tree which grows to height of 12m. It is difficult to tell apart from Vachellia nilotica subsp. adstringens without examining the seed pods. The Botanical Society of South Africa has accepted a name change to Vachellia karroo. Common names in various languages include doringboom, soetdoring, cassie, piquants blancs, cassie piquants blancs, deo-babool, doorn boom, kaludai, kikar, mormati, pahari kikar, umga and udai vel.
Production
Plants are fast growing.
Other Information
The gum is chewed especially by children.
Notes
There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. It can become a weed. Also as Mimosaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Cape gum, Doorn Boom, Isinga, Mfungu, Mimosa, Mkwangwa, Moangala, Mooka, Mpampa, Mubayamhondoro, Muhunga, Munenje, Mupfamutshena, Muunga, Muye-nyewe, Muzunga, Soetdoring, Sweet thorn, Umnga, Umunga, Witdoring
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