Acacia dudgeoni Craib ex Hall

Leguminosae

Synonyms

Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. var. samoryana (A.Chev.) Roberty

Common name

Gum arabic

Description

Small tree or shrub with a spreading canopy, blackish, striated rough bark and reddish slash. Twigs pubescent and reddish, prickles 0.3-0.6 cm long grouped by 2-3, curved inward. Taxonomically close to Acacia senegal and Acacia laeta, with which it could be confused by non taxonomists. Leaves bi-pinnate 3-7 cm long, with 20-30 pairs of leaflets by pinna.and 20 pairs of pinnae. Leaflets 0.8 x 0.3 cm, glabrous or almost so. Flowers white, in racemes 2.5-6.0 cm long, shorter than the leaves. Fruit oblong, flattened, glabrous, 3.0-8.0 x 1.5-2.5 cm, pale brown, papery, resembling those of Acacia senegal, which, however, are pubescent. Non-gregarious species of limited occurrence, hybridizing with Acacia laeta and Acacia senegal in their overlapping zones of occurrence.

Soil

Found on medium to fine-textured soils.

Distribution

Sudanian and Guinean ecozones, in relatively moist soil conditions in the southern Sahel (valleys floors, around ponds etc.)

Propagation

Usually not artificially established.

Products & uses

Browsing, Service wood, Fuel wood, Charcoal, Fiber (roots), Medicine (anti diarrhetic), soil and land rehabilitation.

Links for the genus:

• The WattleWeb: Acacias from A-Z
• Seed treatment and inoculation: Instructions for acacias and other NFT (Nitrogen Fixing Trees)
• Sustainable livestock production: Indigenous knowledge in utilization of local trees and shrubs in central Tanzania

References

Brenan 1957a ; Brenan 1959 ; Ross 1979 ; Von Maydell 1983/86 ; Geerling 1982/1988 ; Burkill 1995 ; Sidiyène & al. 1996 ; Vassal 1998.