Leguminosae-mim Acacia erioloba E. Mey.

| |	© Rosemary Wise

Keywords in this picture :

• Fruit
• Flower & fruit
• Plant parts

Places where this species can be found :

• Bilisu Forest Reserve - NSBPGHANA

Species information

Interest
Widely used for fuel, especially in the Kimberly area of S. Africa. It was formerly used for machine bearings, considered better than brass if kept very well oiled. In Namibia used for knobkerries or clubs. The Bechuana use the wood for making spoons and knife handles. When reeds are unavailable, the Namas make flutes from the roots and Botswana bushmen peel straight roots for making quivers. It is an important browse species for livestock and wild animals, often being a principle fodder species. In the Kalahari the tree rat almost exclusively feeds on the foliage, seeds and gums, however the later is not common. The seeds are used by the Korenas as a coffee substitute. It is grown for shade and shelter (Wickens et al. 1995). Bark ash usd for treating headaches. Used by tswana herbalists in Botswana for nose bleeding, powdered roots are boiled in water and taken Hedberg & Staugard (1989)

Other Notes
Common names: Angola: Mubonde (Ganguela), Mumbonde (Muhumbe), Mupombe (Mungambo); Botswana: Mogotho, Mogotlho (Setswana), Mohoto (Tsu.), Rana (Bushman), Umdwadwa (Ndebele); Namibia: Kameeldoring (Africaans); Zambia: Muhoto (Lozi; Zimbabwe: Umhoholo (Sind.), camel thorn, giraffe thorn (English). Species characteristics : Tree to 15 m high or occasionally a low shrub (Namibian coast), with a fastigate crown when young developing into large rounded to flattened crown with drooping branches. Remains green through much of the dry season, and has thick half moon shaped pods which cannot be confused with other species. This species dominates the thorn scrub vegetation on Kalahari sands, and is particularly in Namibia where it is probably the most common tree there. It can occur even in the Namib desert among dry watercourses or where there is underground water. This species was called A. giraffae Willd. but the type specimen was later found to be a A. erioloba x A. haematoxylon hybrid. Distribution: Angola (Huila, Cunene, Mocamedes, Namibe, Bengo, Uige, Cuando Cubango); Botswana (Chobe, Northern Division, Central, South East, Ngamiland, Ghanzi, Kweneng, Kgatleng, Southern, Kgalagadi); Mozambique (Manica); South Africa (Transvaal, Cape, Orange Free State); Unknown; Zambia (Southern, Western, Copperbelt, Sesheke); Zimbabwe (Hwange, Gweru, Nyamandhlovu, Chipinge, Bulawayo, Mwenezi, Nkayi); Namibia (Kaokoland, Swakopmund, Damaraland, Tsumeb, Grootfontein, Namibrand, Caprivi, Rehoboth, Windhoek, Otjiwarongo, Maltahohe, Okahandja, Karibib, Mariental, Outjo, Karasburg, Kavango, Luderitz). Specimen total: 308 Degree squares: 95 Collection years: 1800-1996 Phenology : Flowering period: Jan(2), Apr(1), May(3), Jun(1), Jul(3), Aug(9), Sep(45), Oct(18), Nov(5), Dec(1) Fruiting period: Jan(14), Feb(11), Mar(13), Apr(11), May(10), Jun(12), Jul(5), Aug(5), Sep(28), Oct(17), Nov(10), Dec(11) Altitude range: 120- (800-1400) -1675m

Specimen information

Collector
PS

Specimen Number
s.n.