Vachellia erioloba
Vachellia erioloba
''Vachellia erioloba'' is a southern African legume. Its preferred habitat is the deep dry sandy soils of the Transvaal, western Free State, northern Cape Province, Botswana, and the western areas of Zimbabwe and Namibia. The tree was first described by Ernst Heinrich Friedrich Meyer and Johann Franz Drège in 1836.
The tree can grow up to 17 metres high and is commonly found in Namibia. Its name refers to the fact that giraffe and camels commonly graze on the harder-to-reach succulent leaves normally out of reach of smaller animals. Giraffe in particular are partial to all vachellias and manifest a specially-adapted tongue and lips that can cope with the vicious thorns. It also grows ear-shaped pods, which are favoured by a large number of herbivores including cattle. The wood is dark reddish-brown in colour and extremely dense and strong. It is slow-growing, very hardy to drought and fairly frost-resistant.
The wood is a good fuel for fires, which leads to widespread clearing of dead trees and the felling of healthy trees. According to superstition, lightning will strike at ''V. erioloba'' more often than other trees. The camel thorn's seeds can be roasted and used as a substitute for coffee beans. The camel thorn is a protected tree in South Africa.
The tree can grow up to 17 metres high and is commonly found in Namibia. Its name refers to the fact that giraffe and camels commonly graze on the harder-to-reach succulent leaves normally out of reach of smaller animals. Giraffe in particular are partial to all vachellias and manifest a specially-adapted tongue and lips that can cope with the vicious thorns. It also grows ear-shaped pods, which are favoured by a large number of herbivores including cattle. The wood is dark reddish-brown in colour and extremely dense and strong. It is slow-growing, very hardy to drought and fairly frost-resistant.
The wood is a good fuel for fires, which leads to widespread clearing of dead trees and the felling of healthy trees. According to superstition, lightning will strike at ''V. erioloba'' more often than other trees. The camel thorn's seeds can be roasted and used as a substitute for coffee beans. The camel thorn is a protected tree in South Africa.
