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Leguminosae-mim Acacia mellifera ssp. (Vahl) Benth.

Leguminosae-mim Acacia mellifera
| | © Rosemary Wise

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Species information

Interest
The heartwood is black and very heavy, 1100 kg/m3, strong and durable, being borer, termite and fungi resistent. Used for buildings in northeastern and eastern Africa, especially poles for huts in Tanzania and Somalia, bed frames and fencing, and also tool handles. The Masai use it for building manyattas and cattle bomas (fences). It is an excellent slow burning firewood and charcoal. It is browsed by camels and goats, being a preferred fodder in Tanzania, but considered too spiny for cattle. It grows on clay soils which become boggey and can deter larger animals in the rains. Browsed by gerenuk and other antelope. Root fibres are used for basketry (Wickens et al 1995). A decoction of the roots and bark is mixed with milk and used as a cure for stomach-ache. In northern Kenya the inner bark is used in the treatment of joint pains, malaria, fevers and coughs. Toothbrushes are made from the twigs. Its gum is edible.

Other Notes
Species characteristics: Often a dense obconical chrub, it can develop into a tree to 6 (9) m tall. It has relatively large leaflets, one or two pairs per pinnae. It has two subspecies seperated by the number of pinnae pairs and their peduncles. It is widespread in dry bushland, thornveld and wooded grassland, and in the north prefers loamy soils. It can form impenetrable thickets over much of its range. Useful browse in some areas, it has been used for fuel, live fencing, and its roots for making baskets. It is a prolific flowerer, and it specific name refers to being a useful honey plant. Common names: Eritrea: Haq (Tigre); Ethiopia: Bilili (Dasanetch), Radi a Kora (Mursi); Kenya: Banyirit (Pokot), Bilel (Somali), Curach (Boran), Ebenyo (Turkana), Eiti (Masai), Ekunoit (Turkana), Erenyo (Turkana), Habalkes (Orma), Iit (plural) (Masai), Iti (Samburu), Kathigira (Tharaka), Kathiia (Kamba), Kikwata (Giriama), Kikwata (Swahili), Kithiia (Kamba), Lanen (Somali), Mgoror (Tugen), Milikin-ki-badda (Rendille), Muthigira (Embu), Muthigira (Tharaka), Muthiia (Kamba), Ng'orore (Tugen), Ngororo (Tugen), Oiti (Masai), Oiti(plural) (Masai), Oito-Orok (Masai), Panyuriit (Pokot), Talamoga (Pokot), Talamogh (Pokot), Talamogh (Turkana), Talamow (Pokot); Somalia: Bilel (Warsangeleh); Sudan: Ajondoke (Dinka), Kitr (Arabic), Kittir (Baggara Arabic), Kittur (Arabic), Shok (Arabic); Tanzania: Mdugala (Kisukuma), Militimoko- Hadza (Tindiga), Miritimoko (Tindiga), Mlugala (Nyamwezi), Oete (Kimasai), Oyeti (Masai), Rek'etto (Sandawe), Wait a bit thorn (English). Distribution: widespread in the continent spreading to Arabia in Angola (Benguela); Ethiopia (Harerge, Shewa, Awash valley, Sidamo, Gamo Gofa); Kenya (Turkana, Rift valley, Coast, Northern Frontier, Masai, Kajiado, Garissa, Machakos, Eastern, Laikipia, Nairobi, Kitui, Fort Hall, Narok, Taita, Maralal, Samburu, Meru, Embu, Kwale, Moyale, Baringo, Thika, North Nyeri, Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu, Pokot, Nanyuki, Machakos/Kitui, Taita Taveta, Nithi); Saudi Arabia ; Somalia (Hiiraan, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sanaag, Jubbada hoose, Nugaal, Bari, Togdheer); Sudan (Darfur, Kordofan, Ilemi Triangle, Ash Sharqiyah, Al Wusta, Bahr al Ghazal, Darfour); Tanzania (Coast, Bagamoyo, Handeni, Korogwe, Tanga, Nzega, Lushoto, Kondoa, Mbulu, Musoma, Masai, Arusha, Mpwapwa, Pangani, Lindi, Pare, Dodoma, Morogoro, Kilosa, Same, Ufipa); Uganda (Mbale, Karamoja); Zimbabwe (Nyamandhlovu); Namibia (Kaokoland, ); Eritrea. Specimen total: 317 Degree squares: 75 Collection years: 1800-1993 Phenology: Flowering period: Jan(4), Feb(11), Mar(16), Apr(12), May(5), Jun(8), Jul(9), Aug(22), Sep(17), Oct(17), Nov(6), Dec(3); Fruiting period: Jan(10), Feb(8), Mar(13), Apr(9), May(13), Jun(12), Jul(12), Aug(13), Sep(8), Oct(12), Nov(11), Dec(8) Altitude range: 30-1829m

Specimen information

Collector
PS

Specimen Number
s.n.