Acacia nilotica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_nilotica

Acacia nilotica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Acacia nilotica (gum arabic tree,[2] Babul/Kikar, Egyptian thorn, Sant tree, Al-sant or prickly [3] called thorn mimosa or prickly acacia in acacia; Australia; lekkerruikpeul or scented thorn in South Africa) is a species of Acacia native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. It is also currently an invasive species of signicant concern in Australia. The generic name of this plant derives from (akakia), the name given by early Greek botanistphysician Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40-90) to this tree as [4] This name a medicinal, in his book Materia Medica. derives from the Greek word for its characteristic thorns, [5] The species name nilotica was (akis, thorn). given by Linnaeus from this tree's best-known range along the Nile river. The plant A. nilotica then, in turn, became the type species for the Linnaean Acacia genus (not all of which have thorns, even though they are named for them). For the ongoing reclassication of this and other species historically classied under genus Acacia, see the list of Acacia species.

Acacia nilotica

Scientic classication Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Family: Genus: Species: Fabales Fabaceae Acacia A. nilotica

Binomial name

Contents
1 Description 2 Distribution 3 Uses 3.1 Forage and fodder 3.2 Hedges 3.3 Medicine 3.4 Lumber 4 Propagation 5 Subspecies 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Acacia nilotica
(L.) Willd. ex Delile

Range of Acacia nilotica

Synonyms Acacia arabica (Lam.) Willd. Acacia scorpioides W.Wight Mimosa arabica Lam. Mimosa nilotica L. Mimosa scorpioides

Description
Acacia nilotica is a tree 520 m high with a dense spheric
1 of 5

29/10/12 06:59

Acacia nilotica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_nilotica

crown, stems and L.[1] branches usually dark to black coloured, ssured 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 leaets each, Spring blossoms at Hodal in tomentose, rachis with a gland at the bottom of the Faridabad District of Haryana, last pair of pinnulae. Flowers in globulous heads India 1.2-1.5 cm in diameter of a bright golden-yellow color, set up either axillary or whorly on peduncles 23 cm long located at the end of the branches. Pods are strongly constricted, hairy, [6] white-grey, thick and softly tomentose. Its seeds number approximately 8000/kg.

Distribution
Acacia nilotica, is native from Egypt, across the Maghreb and Sahel, south to Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and east through Arabian Peninsula to [7] Pakistan, India and Burma. It has become widely naturalised outside its native range including Zanzibar, and Australia. Acacia nilotica is [7] spread by livestock.

Uses
Forage and fodder

Trunk at Hodal in Faridabad District of Haryana, India

In part of its range smallstock consume the pods and leaves, 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. Pods are best fed dry as a supplement, not as a green fodder.

Hedges
A. nilotica makes a good protective hedge because of its thorns.[8]

Medicine
In Siddha medicine, A. niloticagum is used to treat otherwise watery semen. [9]

2 of 5

29/10/12 06:59

Acacia nilotica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_nilotica

Lumber
The tree's wood is "very durable if water-seasoned" and [8] The its uses include tool handles and lumber for boats. [10] wood has a density of about 1170 kg/m.

Propagation
There are 5000-16000 seeds/kg.[11]

Subspecies
Acacia nilotica subsp. Thonn.) Brenan[10] Acacia nilotica subsp. Acacia nilotica subsp. Acacia nilotica subsp. Acacia nilotica subsp. [10] Brenan Acacia nilotica subsp. Acacia nilotica subsp. Acacia nilotica subsp. Acacia nilotica subsp. Brenan[10][12] adstringens (Schum. & cupressiformis hemispherica indica (Benth.) Brenan[10] kraussiana (Benth.) leiocarpa Brenan[10] nilotica subalata (Vatke) Brenan[10] tomentosa (Benth.)
Acacia nilotica

See also
List of Indian timber trees

References
1. ^ ILDIS LegumeWeb (http://www.ildis.org

Bark structure

/LegumeWeb?version~10.01&LegumeWeb&tno~323&genus~Acacia&species~nilotica) 2. ^ http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN& search_value=182086 3. ^ http://dictionary.infoplease.com/babul http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/babul http://www.worldagroforestry.org/Sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp /SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=81 4. ^ "Acacia nilotica (acacia)" (http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Acacia-nilotica.htm) . Plants & Fungi. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived (http://web.archive.org

3 of 5

29/10/12 06:59

Acacia nilotica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_nilotica

5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10. 11. 12.

/web/20100112043913/http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Acacia-nilotica.htm) from the original on 12 January 2010. http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Acacia-nilotica.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-28. ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names (http://books.google.com/?id=esMPU5DHEGgC) . 1 A-C. CRC Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2. http://books.google.com/?id=esMPU5DHEGgC. ^ Handbook on Seeds of Dry-zone Acacias FAO (http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Q2190E /Q2190E10.htm) ^ a b http://www.weeds.crc.org.au/documents/wmg_prickly_acacia.pdf ^ a b Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=CfDcl2m-6BMC&pg=PA7& lpg=PA7&dq=%22acacia+longifolia%22+uses&source=web&ots=EkNk6Oa_ip& sig=QcXMyBrLsTSqmA1MLErlSFY-s_w#PPA8,M1) Select Extra-tropical Plants Readily Eligible for Industrial Culture Or Naturalization By Ferdinand von Mueller ^ Dr. J. Raamachandran, "HERBS OF SIDDHA MEDICINES - The First 3D Book on Herbs" ^ a b c d e f g FAO (http://www.fao.org/docrep/V5360E/v5360e0f.htm) ^ Tropical Forages (http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media /Html/Acacia_nilotica.htm) ^ USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (http://www.ars-grin.gov /cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?312499)

External links
Acacia nilotica: a Tree Legume out of Control (http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc /Publicat/Gutt-shel/x5556e0v.htm) Acacia nilotica (http://orabase.calm.wa.gov.au/browse/ora?f=163&level=s& id=20757&type=l&PHPSESSID=948be459b92215063fcb287af7ed3099) Acacia nilotica (www.frienvis.nic.in) (http://www.frienvis.nic.in/babul.htm) Acacia nilotica (http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de /root/index.php?page_id=13&preview=true&searchTextMenue=Acacia+nilotica& search=Wikitemplate) in West African plants - A Photo Guide. (http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acacia_nilotica& oldid=520004967" Categories: Acacia Drought-tolerant trees Forages Flora of North Africa Flora of East Africa Flora of Southern Africa Flora of Western Asia Plants used in Ayurveda Trees of the Middle East Trees of Africa Trees of India Flora of Egypt Flora of Libya Flora of Tunisia Flora of Algeria Flora of Morocco Flora of Senegal Flora of Burkina Faso Flora of Ivory Coast Flora of Ethiopia Flora of Somalia Flora of Sudan Flora of Kenya Flora of Tanzania Flora of Uganda Flora of Ghana Flora of Guinea-Bissau Flora of Mali Flora of Niger Flora of Nigeria Flora of Togo Trees of Angola Flora of Malawi Flora of Mozambique Flora of Yemen Flora of Saudi Arabia Flora of Zambia Flora of Zimbabwe Flora of Botswana Trees of South Africa Flora of Oman Trees of Iran Flora of Iraq Flora of Bangladesh Flora of Nepal Flora of Pakistan Flora of India Flora of Sri Lanka Flora of Burma Invasive plant species in Australia Flora naturalised in Australia

4 of 5

29/10/12 06:59

Acacia nilotica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_nilotica

This page was last modied on 26 October 2012 at 19:31. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-prot organization.

5 of 5

29/10/12 06:59