Naivasha Thorn

Naivasha Thorn

Acacia xanthophloea

Origin: Indigenous

Description: A huge tree up to 25 metres tall, with a flat crown and light foliage. Bark: This acacia is easily identified by its smooth, powdery yellow-green bark, which cracks as it becomes older. Thorns are white, straight, and come in pairs. They can grow up to 10 cm in length. May be missing in old branches. In Kenya, the flowers have round heads and are white or pink in colour. Fruit: Yellow-brown pods up to 13 cm long, flat, somewhat constricted between seeds, and broken into segments.

Uses: Firewood, charcoal, timber, poles, posts, edible gum, inner bark chewed, medicine (bark), fodder (foliage and pods), bee forage, ornamental, nitrogen-fixing, river-bank stabilization, dead fence (dry branches).

Notes: Bark extract has been traditionally used to treat malaria. This tree is good for protecting watercourses. It is suitable for pastures due to its light crown. Wood borers can attack the wood. The Naivasha thorn is grown as an ornamental plant at the coast.