Acacia asak

(Forssk.) Willd.

Fabaceae Edible: Gum

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Description

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

Edible Uses

The gum of this plant is edible.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It is a drought resistant plant.

Where It Grows

Africa, Djibouti, East Africa, Ethiopia, Middle East, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Socotra, Sudan, Yemen,

Cultivation

Plants can be gown from seeds.

Notes

There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae.

Synonyms

Acacia glaucophylla A. Rich.

References (3)

East African Herbarium records, 1981,
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 19 (As Acacia glaucophylla)
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 125