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Leguminosae-mim Acacia ataxacantha DC.

Leguminosae-mim Acacia ataxacantha
| | © P.Ekpe / NSBP

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Species information

Interest
Preferred wet season firewood by the Mbeere tribe in Kenya since wood does not readily absorb water and will maintain flamability, occasionally used in the Sahelian region. It sapwood is whitish with a pink tinge, and a deep red-brown heartwood, with a medium texture and heavy 930 kg/m3. It is durable and with abundant gum patches saws cleanly. Because of its small size used for tools and implement handles, hut lathes, rafters, walking sticks, bows and fence poles. The stems are also split to paper thin strips, either red, white or white with dark streaks for weaving and basketry. While palatable it is not much browsed by livestock, but antelope eat the foliage annd pods (Wickens et al. 1995). Fibre is extracted from the bark in the Sahel to make a strong rope. Because of its thorny branches, it is used for live hedges and brush fences around bomas, as livestock pens. The Gormantches of Burkina Faso the macerated root bark as a gargle for toothache. In northern Kenya, bundles of short branches used as night torchers by honey collectors because of its resinous sap, and a gummy exudate from the pounded leaves used to repair holes in gourds.

Other Notes
Common names: Angola: Mukondo-karindi (Muila); Cameroon: Schilder (Matakam); Central African Republic: Nzele (Lissongo); Chad: Dorova (Arabic); Kenya: Golgol (Rendille), Murangare (Tharaka); Mali: Tii (Bambara); Mozambique: Fulula (Tete), Runtudji (Macua); Nigeria: Ewon (Yoruba); Senegal: Dadd (Wolof); Sierra Leone: Gougoi (L), Gungui (M), Huthiri (Limba), Kongona (Yalunka), Tanyei (Me.), Tiringoni (Mandingo), Wonj (K); Zambia: Kafuwa (Toka), Mukona (Lozi); Zimbabwe: Ulutatu (Ndebele), flame acacia (English), vlamdoring (Afrikaans), kato (Shangaan); muchanga, mugowa, mukakanyuro, mukombonkunono (Shona), lubamfwe, mugowa konono, mukobonkunono (Tonga). Species characteristics : A multistemmed scrambling climber or shrub with long slender branches, this species can also develop into a tree to 10 m high. This is unusual for the climbing Acacias which are mostly restricted wet tropical forest. This species has been very successful in colonising both wetter and drier habitats on sandy soils, as riverine vegetation, on forest margins and clearings and drier ravines valley scrub and sometimes open grassland. In west Africa occurs in gallery forests or ferraltic duripan soils covered with sandy loams. Can form dense thichets. It is palatable but not much browsed, and mainly used for fences or hedges. Ropes can also be made from its tough bark fibres. Distribution: Angola (Huila, Cunene); Botswana (Central, Ngamiland, Ghanzi, Kweneng, Kgatleng, Northern, South west); Burkina Faso (Centre, Hauts Bassins, Est); Cameroon (Logne et Chari, Diamare, Bamoun, North); French Guiana (Mamou, Faranah, Kindia, Kankan); Ivory Coast (Ouest); Kenya (Turkana, Coast, Northern Frontier, Central, Machakos, Eastern, Kitui, Taita, Maralal, Isiolo, Samburu, Nyeri, Meru, Embu, Mandera); Liberia (Loffa county); Malawi (Blantyre, Mwanza, Chikwawa, Machinga); Mali (Mopti, Segou, Bamako); Mozambique (Tete, Maputo, Inhambane, Nampula); Niger (Dogon Doutchi, Niamey, Zinder, Dosso, Gwari); Nigeria (Bauchi, Muri, North East, Northern, Zaria, Bornu, Kano, Benue Plateau, Kwara, West, Lagos); Senegal (Saint Louis, Louga, Tambacounda, Thies, Dakar, Kolda); Sierra Leone (Northern, Eastern); South Africa (Transvaal, Natal, Cape, Tzaneen, Pretoria, Pietersburg, Bethal, Pietermaritzburg, Lydenburg); Sudan (Darfur); Swaziland (Hhohho, Stegi, Sibezuka, Mbabane, Manzini, Lubombo, Shiselweni); Tanzania (Lindi); Togo ); Zaire ); Zambia (Southern, Western, Eastern, Sesheke, Namwala, Gwembe); Zimbabwe (Binga, Hwange, Guruve, Gokwe, Hurungwe, Nyamandhlovu, Bulawayo, Chirumanzu, Mwenezi, Sebungwe, Nkayi, Shangani); Namibia (Kaokoland, Tsumeb, Grootfontein, Hereroland, Outjo, Kavango, Ovamboland, Kalakuwise); Central African Republic (Mbaiki, Lobaye, Kemo-Gribingui, Haut Oubangui, Bamingui Bangoran); Dahomey (Centre); Chad (Mayo Kebbi, Chari Baguirmi, Moyen Chari). Specimen total: 710 Degree squares: 139 Collection years: 1700-1996 Phenology : Flowering period: Jan(26), Feb(33), Mar(9), Apr(4), May(6), Jun(4), Jul(2), Aug(9), Sep(24), Oct(23), Nov(10), Dec(21); Fruiting period: Jan(13), Feb(17), Mar(12), Apr(13), May(12), Jun(10), Jul(2), Aug(3), Sep(3), Oct(9), Nov(15), Dec(21) Altitude range: 91-1980m

Specimen information

Collection Date
18/03/2005

Collector
Ekpe, P.

Specimen Number
83

Location
Kalariga Grove near Gorugu .

Notes
Shrubby scrabling plant with multiple stems at base. Minute glands on the petiole. Curved single spines on older stems, twigs and on spine of leaves. Fruits dry dehiscent; dry reddish flat fruit pods easily fall off from twigs. Slash fibrous.

Coordinates
Latitude: 9.281770 N   Longitude: 0.523700 W   Altitude: 0.0