Sweet Thorn
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Soetdoring  Sweet thornAcacia karroo Hayne Kruger National Park |
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Acacia karroo - Very widespread tree, 4-10 m high or taller. The crown is usually round and spread. The leaves are 1-10 cm long, with leaflets of 0.3-1 cm. The branches have thorns (7 cm). The flowers are scented, and are in clusters at the end of a branch (Oct.-Feb.). The formlong (25 cm) sickle-shaped pods.
Wounds in the bark will exude a sweet tasting gum (hence the name sweet thorn), similar to arabic gum; it can be consumed and is eaten by animals. Stock and game feed on the leaves, flowers and pods, and thus contribute to the dispersal of the species.
Other names: North Sotho ookana - Tswana Mooka - Zulu, Xhosa umuNga
Books
Vincent Carruthers (ed.) - The Wildlife of Southern Africa. Struik Publ. ISBN 1-86872-451-4
Kristo Pienaar - Watter Blom is dit? Struik Uitg. ISBN 1-86872-442-5
Weblinks
South African National Biodiversity Institute