Acacia seyal
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| Acacia seyal Del. |
[edit] Synonyms
- Acacia fistula Schweinf.
- Acacia flava (Forssk.) Schweinf. var. seyal (Delile)Roberty
- Acacia stenocarpa A. Rich.
The accepted name is Acacia seyal Delile.[1]
[edit] Description
Acacia seyal is beside other acacias, the most important supplier for gum arabic, a natural polysaccharide, that drips out of the cracks of the bark and solidifies. The tree is distributed from Egypt to Kenya and west Senegal. In the Sahara, it often grows in damp valleys.
Acacia seyal is a thorny, 6 - 10 m high tree with a greenish or reddish bark. At the base of the 3 - 10 cm feathery leaves there 2 straight light-grey thorns. The blossoms form round, bright yellow clusters approximately in 1.5 cm diameter, in some cases growing to 7 - 20 cm long.
[edit] References
- Arbonnier, M. Arbres, arbustes et the lianes zones seches d'Afrique de l'Ouest. CIRAD. Montpellier, 2000 ISBN 287614431X
- Wikipedia (German) "Seyal-Akazie"
