Vachellia erioloba
| Vachellia erioloba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vachellia erioloba Camel Thorn | |
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| Seeds and pods | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Vachellia |
| Species: | V. erioloba |
| Binomial name | |
| Vachellia erioloba (E.Mey.) P.J.H.Hurter[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Vachellia erioloba (camel thorn, giraffe thorn is a tree of southern Africa in the family Fabaceae.[2] Its preferred habitat is the deep dry sandy soils in parts of South Africa, Botswana, the western areas of Zimbabwe and Namibia. It is also native to Angola, south-west Mozambique, Zambia and Swaziland.[3] The tree was first described by Ernst Heinrich Friedrich Meyer and Johann Franz Drège in 1836.[3] The camel thorn is a protected tree in South Africa.[4]
The tree can grow up to 17 metres high. It is slow-growing, very hardy to drought and fairly frost-resistant. The wood is dark reddish-brown in colour and extremely dense and strong. It is a good for fires, which leads to widespread clearing of dead trees and the felling of healthy trees. It produces ear-shaped pods, favoured by a large number of herbivores including cattle. The seeds can be roasted and used as a substitute for coffee beans.[5]
The name 'camel thorn' refers to the fact that giraffe (kameelperd in Afrikaans) commonly feed on the leaves with their specially-adapted tongue and lips that can avoid the thorns. The scientific name 'erioloba' means "wooly lobe", a reference to the ear-shaped pods[6]
Gallery
The pods of the Camel thorn, while they remain on a tree (near Potgietersrust in Transvaal, South Africa)
Vachellia erioloba seeds, lying upon the ground, scattered among their pods, Sossusvlei, Namib Desert, Namibia
Mokala Bark on a tree near Potgietersrust in Transvaal, South Africa
The sharp thorns of the Mokala resemble barbed wire (growing near Potgietersrust in Transvaal, South Africa)
Vachellia erioloba tree in the Namib Desert
Vachellia erioloba, Kalahari desert
Vachellia erioloba - Museum specimen - MHNT
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vachellia erioloba. |
References
- ↑ Kyalangalilwa B, Boatwright JS, Daru BH, Maurin O, van der Bank M (2013). "Phylogenetic position and revised classification of Acacia s.l. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in Africa, including new combinations in Vachellia and Senegalia.". Bot J Linn Soc. 172 (4): 500–523. doi:10.1111/boj.12047.
- ↑ The type specimen of Acacia giraffae, proved on closer examination to be a hybrid of V. haematoxylon and the species which would later become known as V. erioloba. The name V. erioloba was therefore proposed for the vast numbers of camel thorn which are not hybrids.
- 1 2 "Vachellia erioloba". GRIN Taxonomy for Plants. USDA. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ↑ "Protected Trees" (PDF). Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa. 3 May 2013.
- ↑ Mhloniswa Dlamini; Walter Sisulu (2005). "Acacia erioloba". PlantzAfrica. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ↑ http://ajh-knives.com/hardwoods-info.html
External links
- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). [http://www.africanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?submitForm=true&page_id=77&searchTextMenue=Acacia+erioloba&filterRegionIDs[]=6&filterRegionIDs[]=1&filterRegionIDs[]=2&filterRegionIDs[]=3&filterRegionIDs[]=5 "Acacia erioloba"]. African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.