This species of tree is the type species of the Linnaean genus Acacia, which derives its name from Ancient Greek: ἀκακία, akakía, the name given by early Greek botanist-physician Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40–90) to this tree as a medicinal, in his book Materia Medica.[9] The genus Acacia was long known not to be taxonomically monophyletic, and despite being the type species of that genus, A. nilotica has since been moved to the genus Vachellia, with the genus name Acacia being reserved for Australian species; the principle of priority, which would normally prevent such a taxonomic change, was waived with a majority vote by the International Botanical Congress in 2005. The renaming of the traditional Acacia to Vachellia remains controversial, especially in Africa, where V. nilotica is an iconic species and is widely referred to as the acacia.[10] For the new classification of this and other species historically classified under genus Acacia, see Acacia.
The genus name Acacia derives from the Ancient Greek word for its characteristic thorns, ἄκις, ákis, "thorn".[11] The specific epithetnilotica was probably given by Linnaeus from this tree's originally known range along the Nile river.[citation needed] In Australia the tree is known as a prickly acacia,[12] despite usurping Dioscorides' two millennia-old etymology, the Australian species classified as Acacia in Australia do not have thorns.
Acacia nilotica or Vachellia nilotica is a tree 5–20 m high with a dense spheric crown, stems and branches usually dark to black coloured, fissured bark, grey-pinkish slash, exuding a reddish low quality gum. The tree has thin, straight, light, grey spines in axillary pairs, usually in 3 to 12 pairs, 5 to 7.5 cm (3 in) long in young trees, mature trees commonly without thorns. The leaves are bipinnate, with 3–6 pairs of pinnulae and 10–30 pairs of leaflets each, tomentose, rachis with a gland at the bottom of the last pair of pinnulae. Flowers in globulous heads 1.2–1.5 cm in diameter of a bright golden-yellow color, set up either axillary or whorly on peduncles 2–3 cm long located at the end of the branches. Pods are strongly constricted, hairy, white-grey, thick and softly tomentose. Its seeds number approximately 8000/kg.[13]
In part of its range smallstock consume the pods and leaves,[15] but elsewhere it is also very popular with cattle. Pods are used as a supplement to poultry rations in India. Dried pods are particularly sought out by animals on rangelands. In India branches are commonly lopped for fodder. In West Africa, the pods and leaves are considered to have anthelminthic properties on small ruminants and this has been confirmed by in vitro experiments on nematodes.[15] In Kano of Nigeria, acacia pods have traditionally been used to dye leather a reddish-tinge.[16]
Tooth brushing
The tender twig of this plant is used as a toothbrush in south-east Africa, Indian subcontinent.[17]
The exudate gum of this tree is known as gum arabic and has been collected from the pharaonic times for the manufacture of medicines, dyes and paints. In the present commercial market, gum arabic is defined as the dried exudate from the trunks and branches of Senegalia (Acacia) senegal or Vachellia (Acacia) seyal in the family Leguminosae (Fabaceae).[18]: 4 The gum of A. nilotica is also referred to in India as Amaravati gum.[19]
Lumber
The tree's wood is "very durable if water-seasoned" and its uses include tool handles and lumber for boats.[20] The wood has a density of about 833 kg/m3.[2]
Food and medicine
In India it's used as an ingredient in various dishes.
The Maasai people eat both the inner bark (phloem) and the fruit pulp boiled in water. They also use this plant medicinally to treat sore throat, cough, chest pains etc.[21]
In Northern Nigeria it is called bagaruwa in Hausa. Medicinal uses include soaking the tender bark in water to be taken against dysentery and pile. The fruits are ground together with the seeds and taken with honey as treatment against stomach ulcers.
Phytochemistry
Two new antiprotozoal diterpenes have been isolated from the root bark of Acacia nilotica[22]
^Kyalangalilwa B, Boatwright JS, Daru BH, Maurin O, van der Bank M (2013). "Phylogenetic position and revised classification of Acacia s.l. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in Africa, including new combinations in Vachellia and Senegalia". Bot J Linn Soc. 172 (4): 500–523. doi:10.1111/boj.12047. hdl:10566/3454.
^ abWickens, G.E. (1995). "Table 2.1.2 The timber properties of Acacia species and their uses". Role of Acacia species in the rural economy of dry Africa and the Near East. FAO Conservation Guide. Vol. 27. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN978-92-5-103651-8.
^. Plants & Fungi. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
^Kull, Christian A.; Rangan, Haripriya (2012), HABERLE, SIMON G.; DAVID, BRUNO (eds.), "Science, sentiment and territorial chauvinism in the acacia name change debate", Peopled Landscapes, Archaeological and Biogeographic Approaches to Landscapes, ANU Press, vol. 34, pp. 197–220, ISBN978-1-921862-71-7, JSTOR j.ctt24h85b.11, retrieved 2022-04-12
^Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. 1 A-C. CRC Press. p. 6. ISBN978-0-8493-2675-2.
^"handbook on seeds of dry-zone acacias". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
^Kriticos, Darren; Brown, Joel; Radford, Ian; Nicholas, Mike (1999-10-01). "Plant Population Ecology and Biological Control: Acacia nilotica as a Case Study". Biological Control. 16 (2): 230–239. doi:10.1006/bcon.1999.0746. ISSN 1049-9644.
^ abZabré, Geneviève; Kaboré, Adama; Bayala, Balé; Katiki, Luciana M.; Costa-Júnior, Lívio Martins; Tamboura, Hamidou H.; Belem, Adrien M.G.; Abdalla, Adibe L.; Niderkorn, Vincent; Hoste, Hervé; Louvandini, Helder (2017). "Comparison of the in vitro anthelmintic effects of Acacia nilotica and Acacia raddiana". Parasite. 24: 44. doi:10.1051/parasite/2017044. PMC5703060. PMID 29173278.
^Dalziel, J.M. (1926). "African Leather Dyes". Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 6 (6): 225–238. doi:10.2307/4118651. JSTOR 4118651.
^Saurabh Rajvaidhya et al. (2012) "A review on Acacia Arabica, an Indian medicinal plant" International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research Vol 3(7) pp 1995-2005
^"Production and marketing of gum arabic" (PDF). Nairobi, Kenya: Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa (NGARA). 2004.
^"Acacia nilotica (gum arabic tree)". Invasive species compendium. Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
^Mueller, Ferdinand (1884). "Acacia longifolia, Willdenow". Select extra-tropical plants readily eligible for industrial culture or naturalization. G.S. Davis. p. 7.
^Ruffo, Christopher K.; Birnie, Ann; Tengnäs, Bo (2002). Edible wild plants of Tanzania. Regional Land Management Unit/Sida. ISBN9966-896-62-7.
^Anyam, John V.; Daikwo, Priscilla E.; Ungogo, Marzuq A.; Nweze, Nwakaego E.; Igoli, Ngozichukwuka P.; Gray, Alexander I.; De Koning, Harry P.; Igoli, John O. (2021). "Two New Antiprotozoal Diterpenes From the Roots of Acacia nilotica''". Frontiers in Chemistry. 9: 624741. doi:10.3389/fchem.2021.624741. PMC8097170. PMID 33968894.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vachellia nilotica.
Wikispecies has information related to Vachellia nilotica.
External links
Carter, J.O. (1998). "7.2 Acacia nilotica: a Tree Legume out of Control". In Gutteridge, Ross C.; Shelton, H. Max (eds.). Forage Tree Legumes in Tropical Agriculture. The Tropical Grassland Society of Australia. ISBN978-0-9585677-1-8.
"Vachellia nilotica (as Acacia nilotica subsp. indica (Benth.) Brenan)". FloraBase the West Australian Flora.
Acacia nilotica in West African plants – A Photo Guide.
August 24, 2023
vachellia, nilotica, more, commonly, known, acacia, nilotica, vernacular, names, arabic, tree, babul, thorn, mimosa, egyptian, acacia, thorny, acacia, flowering, tree, family, fabaceae, native, africa, middle, east, indian, subcontinent, also, considered, weed. Vachellia nilotica more commonly known as Acacia nilotica and by the vernacular names of gum arabic tree 5 babul 6 thorn mimosa Egyptian acacia or thorny acacia 7 is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae It is native to Africa the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent It is also considered a weed of national significance and an invasive species of concern in Australia as well as a noxious weed by the federal government of the United States 8 Vachellia niloticaScientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade RosidsOrder FabalesFamily FabaceaeSubfamily CaesalpinioideaeClade Mimosoid cladeGenus VachelliaSpecies V niloticaBinomial nameVachellia nilotica L P J H Hurter amp Mabb 1 SubspeciesVachellia nilotica subsp adstringens Schumach amp Thonn Kyal amp Boatwr Vachellia nilotica subsp cupressiformis J L Stewart Ali amp Faruqi Vachellia nilotica subsp hemispherica Ali amp Faruqi Vachellia nilotica subsp indica Benth Kyal amp Boatwr Vachellia nilotica subsp kraussiana Benth Kyal amp Boatwr Vachellia nilotica subsp leiocarpa Brenan Kyal amp Boatwr Vachellia nilotica subsp nilotica L P J H Hurter amp Mabb Vachellia nilotica subsp subalata Vatke Kyal amp Boatwr Vachellia nilotica subsp tomentosa Benth Kyal amp Boatwr 2 3 Range of Vachellia niloticaSynonyms 4 Acacia arabica Lam Willd Acacia nilotica L Willd ex Delile Acacia scorpioides L W Wight Mimosa arabica Lam Mimosa nilotica L Mimosa scorpioides L Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Distribution 4 Uses 4 1 Forage and fodder 4 2 Tooth brushing 4 3 Gum arabic 4 4 Lumber 4 5 Food and medicine 5 Phytochemistry 6 Propagation 7 Gallery 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksTaxonomy EditThis species of tree is the type species of the Linnaean genus Acacia which derives its name from Ancient Greek ἀkakia akakia the name given by early Greek botanist physician Pedanius Dioscorides ca 40 90 to this tree as a medicinal in his book Materia Medica 9 The genus Acacia was long known not to be taxonomically monophyletic and despite being the type species of that genus A nilotica has since been moved to the genus Vachellia with the genus name Acacia being reserved for Australian species the principle of priority which would normally prevent such a taxonomic change was waived with a majority vote by the International Botanical Congress in 2005 The renaming of the traditional Acacia to Vachellia remains controversial especially in Africa where V nilotica is an iconic species and is widely referred to as the acacia 10 For the new classification of this and other species historically classified under genus Acacia see Acacia The genus name Acacia derives from the Ancient Greek word for its characteristic thorns ἄkis akis thorn 11 The specific epithet nilotica was probably given by Linnaeus from this tree s originally known range along the Nile river citation needed In Australia the tree is known as a prickly acacia 12 despite usurping Dioscorides two millennia old etymology the Australian species classified as Acacia in Australia do not have thorns Description Edit Spring blossoms at Hodal in Faridabad District of Haryana IndiaAcacia nilotica or Vachellia nilotica is a tree 5 20 m high with a dense spheric crown stems and branches usually dark to black coloured fissured bark grey pinkish slash exuding a reddish low quality gum The tree has thin straight light grey spines in axillary pairs usually in 3 to 12 pairs 5 to 7 5 cm 3 in long in young trees mature trees commonly without thorns The leaves are bipinnate with 3 6 pairs of pinnulae and 10 30 pairs of leaflets each tomentose rachis with a gland at the bottom of the last pair of pinnulae Flowers in globulous heads 1 2 1 5 cm in diameter of a bright golden yellow color set up either axillary or whorly on peduncles 2 3 cm long located at the end of the branches Pods are strongly constricted hairy white grey thick and softly tomentose Its seeds number approximately 8000 kg 13 Distribution EditAcacia nilotica or Vachellia nilotica is native from Egypt across the Maghreb and Sahel south to Mozambique and KwaZulu Natal South Africa and east through the Arabian Peninsula to the Indian subcontinent and Burma It has become widely naturalised outside its native range including Zanzibar and Australia 14 It is spread by livestock 12 Uses Edit Seed pods Gum arabic exuding Trunk at Hodal in Faridabad District of Haryana IndiaForage and fodder Edit In part of its range smallstock consume the pods and leaves 15 but elsewhere it is also very popular with cattle Pods are used as a supplement to poultry rations in India Dried pods are particularly sought out by animals on rangelands In India branches are commonly lopped for fodder In West Africa the pods and leaves are considered to have anthelminthic properties on small ruminants and this has been confirmed by in vitro experiments on nematodes 15 In Kano of Nigeria acacia pods have traditionally been used to dye leather a reddish tinge 16 Tooth brushing Edit The tender twig of this plant is used as a toothbrush in south east Africa Indian subcontinent 17 Gum arabic Edit Main article Gum arabic The exudate gum of this tree is known as gum arabic and has been collected from the pharaonic times for the manufacture of medicines dyes and paints In the present commercial market gum arabic is defined as the dried exudate from the trunks and branches of Senegalia Acacia senegal or Vachellia Acacia seyal in the family Leguminosae Fabaceae 18 4 The gum of A nilotica is also referred to in India as Amaravati gum 19 Lumber Edit The tree s wood is very durable if water seasoned and its uses include tool handles and lumber for boats 20 The wood has a density of about 833 kg m3 2 Food and medicine Edit In India it s used as an ingredient in various dishes The Maasai people eat both the inner bark phloem and the fruit pulp boiled in water They also use this plant medicinally to treat sore throat cough chest pains etc 21 In Northern Nigeria it is called bagaruwa in Hausa Medicinal uses include soaking the tender bark in water to be taken against dysentery and pile The fruits are ground together with the seeds and taken with honey as treatment against stomach ulcers Phytochemistry EditTwo new antiprotozoal diterpenes have been isolated from the root bark of Acacia nilotica 22 Propagation EditThere are 5000 16000 seeds kg 23 Gallery Edit Vachellia nilotica Village Behlolpur Punjab India village Chaparr Chirri Mohali Punjab India Compound leaf seed flower and seed podSee also EditList of Indian timber trees Arid Forest Research Institute AFRI Babool brand of toothpaste Teeth cleaning twig datun References Edit Kyalangalilwa B Boatwright JS Daru BH Maurin O van der Bank M 2013 Phylogenetic position and revised classification of Acacia s l Fabaceae Mimosoideae in Africa including new combinations in Vachellia and Senegalia Bot J Linn Soc 172 4 500 523 doi 10 1111 boj 12047 hdl 10566 3454 a b Wickens G E 1995 Table 2 1 2 The timber properties of Acacia species and their uses Role of Acacia species in the rural economy of dry Africa and the Near East FAO Conservation Guide Vol 27 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ISBN 978 92 5 103651 8 Acacia nilotica Germplasm Resources Information Network Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture Retrieved 12 December 2017 Acacia nilotica LegumeWeb International Legume Database amp Information Service Acacia nilotica Integrated Taxonomic Information System Definition of BABUL www merriam webster com Retrieved 2017 08 03 Vachellia nilotica Germplasm Resources Information Network Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture Retrieved 30 June 2017 Federal Noxious Weed List web PDF Acacia nilotica acacia Plants amp Fungi Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Archived from the original on 12 January 2010 Retrieved 28 January 2010 Kull Christian A Rangan Haripriya 2012 HABERLE SIMON G DAVID BRUNO eds Science sentiment and territorial chauvinism in the acacia name change debate Peopled Landscapes Archaeological and Biogeographic Approaches to Landscapes ANU Press vol 34 pp 197 220 ISBN 978 1 921862 71 7 JSTOR j ctt24h85b 11 retrieved 2022 04 12 Quattrocchi Umberto 2000 CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names Vol 1 A C CRC Press p 6 ISBN 978 0 8493 2675 2 a b Prickly acacia Acacia nilotica PDF 2003 ISBN 978 1 920932 14 5 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help handbook on seeds of dry zone acacias www fao org Retrieved 2017 08 03 Kriticos Darren Brown Joel Radford Ian Nicholas Mike 1999 10 01 Plant Population Ecology and Biological Control Acacia nilotica as a Case Study Biological Control 16 2 230 239 doi 10 1006 bcon 1999 0746 ISSN 1049 9644 a b Zabre Genevieve Kabore Adama Bayala Bale Katiki Luciana M Costa Junior Livio Martins Tamboura Hamidou H Belem Adrien M G Abdalla Adibe L Niderkorn Vincent Hoste Herve Louvandini Helder 2017 Comparison of the in vitro anthelmintic effects of Acacia nilotica and Acacia raddiana Parasite 24 44 doi 10 1051 parasite 2017044 PMC 5703060 PMID 29173278 Dalziel J M 1926 African Leather Dyes Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information Royal Botanic Gardens Kew 6 6 225 238 doi 10 2307 4118651 JSTOR 4118651 Saurabh Rajvaidhya et al 2012 A review on Acacia Arabica an Indian medicinal plant International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research Vol 3 7 pp 1995 2005 Production and marketing of gum arabic PDF Nairobi Kenya Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa NGARA 2004 Acacia nilotica gum arabic tree Invasive species compendium Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International Retrieved 24 January 2016 Mueller Ferdinand 1884 Acacia longifolia Willdenow Select extra tropical plants readily eligible for industrial culture or naturalization G S Davis p 7 Ruffo Christopher K Birnie Ann Tengnas Bo 2002 Edible wild plants of Tanzania Regional Land Management Unit Sida ISBN 9966 896 62 7 Anyam John V Daikwo Priscilla E Ungogo Marzuq A Nweze Nwakaego E Igoli Ngozichukwuka P Gray Alexander I De Koning Harry P Igoli John O 2021 Two New Antiprotozoal Diterpenes From the Roots ofAcacia nilotica Frontiers in Chemistry 9 624741 doi 10 3389 fchem 2021 624741 PMC 8097170 PMID 33968894 Vachellia nilotica as Acacia nilotica Tropical Forages Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vachellia nilotica Wikispecies has information related to Vachellia nilotica External links EditCarter J O 1998 7 2 Acacia nilotica a Tree Legume out of Control In Gutteridge Ross C Shelton H Max eds Forage Tree Legumes in Tropical Agriculture The Tropical Grassland Society of Australia ISBN 978 0 9585677 1 8 Vachellia nilotica as Acacia nilotica subsp indica Benth Brenan FloraBase the West Australian Flora Vachellia nilotica as Acacia nilotica www frienvis nic in Acacia nilotica in West African plants A Photo Guide Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vachellia nilotica amp 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