Family: Fabaceae
[Acacia bussei Harms ex Sjöstedt] |
M. Thulin, A.S. Hassan, & B.T. Styles (1993) Acacia 1: 368-384. Plants trees up to4(-10) m tall with more or less flattened crowns; young branchlets grey-brown to purplish, glabrous or pubescent. Stipular spines up to 5(-9) cm long, some with their lower part stronlyg swollen but bases much constricted. Leaves with 2-8 pairs of pinnae; leaflets 1-18 pairs per pinna, 1.5-5 mm long, 0.5-1.6 mm wide, more or less densely pubescent. Flowers yellowish-white, sessile, in 1.5-6 cm long spikes; calyces about 0.7 mm long; corollas 2.5-3.5 mm long, glabrous. Pods narrowly oblong, straight, dehiscent, up to 8 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, puberulent; seeds flattened, about 5 mm long and 4 mm wide, areoles about 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. Vachellia bussei [= Acacia bussei] grows in Acacia-Commiphora bushland and dry scrub at 50-1500 m. It is known from N1-N3, C2, and S1-S3 of the Flora of Somalia okus Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania ©The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Reproduced with permission. Awale & Jama (2018). Hordhaca dhirta badhtamaha Soomaalilaand. Geed illaa 10 m gaadha, oo dusha ka siman, oo inta badan laamaha ka bixiya xagga hoose; jirrid adag oo taagan u kala jeexan. Qodxo lammaan, oo cad, oo qaarkood badhi kuusan oo adag leeyihiin. Caleemo badan, oo 10 – 18 caleemood oo lammaane ah yihiin, oo aad u gas badan. Ubax huruud ah oo leh qodxo cad oo ku dhegsan laanta. Midho ku jira qolof dhuuban oo toosan. Sabo: Dhul dhireedka qallalan, joog ah illaa 1500 m. Filiqsanaanta: Itoobiya, Kiiniya iyo Tansaaniya. Fiiro: Geedku wuxu leeyahay dhuxul wanaagsan sidaa darteed aad baa loo xaalufiyey.
Tree 3 - 10 m tall with a flattened crown. The whitish thorns are distinctive; some are usually swollen basally but constricted where they are attached to the stem. Acacia bussei grows in arid regions of northern, eastern and southern Africa and throughout the Arabian Peninsula. In east Africa it is, or used to be common in the Acacia-Commiphora bushlands of lower altitudes. It grows on a wide range of soils from red sands to black cotton (clay) as well as on limestone outcrops. Acacia bussei is the main source of charcoal in Somaliland and Somalia, particularly from the Bay region. Nomadic Somali used to use almot all parts of the plant for their huts: the stem for the central pole, roots for the hoops, bark for the covering mats and chewed inner bark for thread to stitch them when constructing their huts. In addition, branches are cut for axe and hoe handles. Roots used for revesting wells because of resistence to rot and termites. They are also used for wattle and daub walls. Root fibres are used to make wide mesh baskets to protect large water or milk vessels. It is also used for building poles and tool handles there (Bird & Shepherd 1992). The species is widely browsed by cattle, sheep and goats. The flowers appear before the leaves and form an important part of the diet of camels. The bark, which contains 17-21% tannin, is used for tanning skins used for carrying water. (Wickens et al. 1995). Somalis use the bark and root bark fibre for making rope, roots for making storage sacks for sorghum and string hanging doors and even young thorns are said to be eaten for food. Vachellia bussei [= Acacia bussei] is still ranked by the IUCN as being of least concern but its populations are declining and have been for some time. The major problem is overuse. All parts of the plant are used and its charcoal is considered to be better than that of other trees. In addition, the structure of the root system, while well adapted to arid environments, makes the roots particularly vulnerable to damage from trampling, soil compaction, and soil erosion. Glover (1951) found that in many formerly well-treed areas, the majority of the dead and dying trees were Vacchellia bussei. He attributed this to the fact that Vachellia bussei produces many roots which extend horizontally for 10-30 m but no more than 30 cm downwards. This is a good system for benefiting from rain showers, particularly light rain showers, but it means that the roots are easily killed. There are currently no formal efforts being made to conserve Vacchellia bussei but local efforts should definitely be encouraged. Flora of Tropical East Africa, Leguminosae (Part 1) Plants trees, 3-10 m tall, usually with a well-defined trunk and flat-crowned, sometimes branching from the base, bark black or brown, roughish; branchlets grey-brown to purplish, glabrous or pubescent. Stipules spinescent, to 9 cm long, some normally with their lower part enlarged and ovoid or fusiform but constricted at the base, whitish or ashen; no prickles below the stipules. Leaves bipinnate, petiole usually with a conspicuous gland; rachis eglandular; with 2-8 pairs of pinnae; leaflets (7)10-18 pairs, 1.5-5 mm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide on peduncles 0.5-1.2 cm long, ciliate or pubescent, lateral veins invisible, tip obtuse or rounded. Inflorescences spicate, 1.8-5 cm long rachis usually pubescent, rarely amost glabrous, with few or no glands. Flowers cream, sessile; calyx 0.7-0.8 mm long; corolla 2.5-3.5 mm long, 4-lobed, glabrous, lobes about 0.5 mm wide; stamens about 6 mm long; anthers about 0.1 mm wide, with a caducous gland. Legumes 2-6.5 cm long, 0.8-1.5 cm wide, straight, brown, puberulent, deciduous. Seeds about 5 mm long, 4-4.5 mm wide; areole 2 by 1.5 mm. |
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