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Acacia
tortilis |
|
|
Acacia
tortilis
(Forsk.)
Hayne |
| Family:Leguminosae
(Mimosoideae)
Synonyms:
A.
raddiana
Savi;
A.
spirocarpa
Hochst.
Ex
A.
Rich;
A.
heteracantha
Burch.;
Local
names:
Umbrella
thorn;
Seyal;
Israeli
Babool |
| Description:
Medium
sized
tree
reaching
20
m
in
height
on
well-watered
sites
with
deep
soils.
The
tree
is
often
multi-stemmed
and
the
canopy
is
characteristically
flat-topped.
The
flowers
are
white
and
fragrant
and
produce
spiral
pods.
It
nodulates
well. |
| Distribution:
Eastern
and
southern
Africa,
Sahel,
Middle
East |
|
Environmental
Requirements:
Altitude:
Sea
level
to
300
m
Rainfall:
500
to
800
mm
usually
found
in
riverine
habitats.
Soils:
Well
drained,
non-acidic
soils
(pH>6).
Does
not
tolerate
waterlogging.
Ecozone:
Semi-arid
to
sub-humid
|
| Establishment:
Direct
seeding
or
seedlings.
Seeds
need
to
be
scarified.
An
effective
method
is
to
place
them
in
hot
water
(80
C)
and
allow
them
to
cool
and
soak
for
24
hours.
Seedlings
need
to
protected
against
browsing. |
| Pests
&
Diseases:
Browsing
by
wild
and
domestic
herbivores
is
a
major
problem.
Seed
predators
greatly
reduce
the
number
of
viable
seeds.
Feeding
pods
to
livestock
has
been
found
to
be
an
effective
way
to
improve
seed
viability.
Apparently,
the
digestive
process
kills
many
of
the
beetles
that
have
burrowed
into
the
seed
coat
and
are
waiting
for
the
seed
to
mature. |
| Uses:
Excellent
firewood
and
charcoal
species;
major
source
of
dry
season
fodder
(leaves
and
pods)
for
domestic
livestock
and
wildlife;
pods
are
high
in
protein
and
energy;
sand
dune
stabilization. |
| References:
Under
construction |
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