Vachellia erioloba / Acacia erioloba Seeds - Kalahari Camel Thorn Tree - Hardy Indigenous

Vachellia erioloba Seeds

Kalahari Camel Thorn; Kameeldoring

Vachellia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or acacias. It belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae. Its species were considered members of genus Acacia until 2009. Vachellia can be distinguished from other acacias by its capitate inflorescences and spinescent stipules. Before discovery of the New World, Europeans in the Mediterranean region were familiar with several species of Vachellia, which they knew as sources of medicine, and had names for them that they inherited from the Greeks and Romans. The wide-ranging genus occurs in a variety of open, tropical to subtropical habitats, and is locally dominant. In parts of Africa, Vachellia species are shaped progressively by grazing animals of increasing size and height, such as gazelle, gerenuk and giraffe. The genus in Africa has thus developed thorns in defence against such herbivory. The members of Vachellia are trees or shrubs, sometimes climbing, and are always armed. Of the 163 species currently assigned to Vachellia, 52 are native to the Americas, 83 to Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands, 32 to Asia and 9 to Australia and the Pacific Islands. Vachellia erioloba commonly known as Camel Thorn in English and Kameeldoring in Afrikaans is a beautiful plant that grows well in poor soils and in harsh environmental conditions. It is an ideal tree for the art of bonsai. The tree bears sweetly scented bright yellow ball-like flowers from late winter through to summer. This is a relic of the parental stock of African Acacia species and is one of the major trees, and frequently the only sizable tree of the deserts of southern Africa. It is a long-lived plant that, in the wild, grows on sand in areas with an annual rainfall of less than 40 mm to 900 mm, and tolerates hot summer temperatures and severe frosts. In very dry areas Vachellia erioloba occurs along watercourses or where underground water is present. The taproot can descend to 60 m, providing access to deep ground water. This tree will produce a lovely thick trunk. Its ability to tolerate hot summers & severe frost along with its flexibility for water requirements makes it a very good candidate for the art of bonsai, especially for beginners.