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Acacia – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.

Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush leaves close

Acacia (Acacia farnesiana or Vachellia farnesiana)

Acacia (also known as Sweet Acacia, Huisache, or Needle Bush) is a spreading, usually short tree (15-30 feet) with spines and alternate compound leaves. Its individual leaflets are small. Its flowers are ball-shaped, bright yellow, and very fragrant. Its bark is a whitish-gray color. Its fruits are dark brown and podlike.

Where to Find Acacia

Acacia grows in open, sunny areas. It is found throughout all tropical regions. NOTE: There are about 500 species of acacia. These plants are especially prevalent in Africa, southern Asia, and Australia, but many species are found in the warmer and drier parts of America. It is deciduous over part of its range but evergreen in most areas.

The native range of V. farnesiana has been or is sometimes disputed. While the point of origin is thought to be the Caribbean, the Guianas, Mexico, and/or Central America, the species has a pantropical distribution incorporating most of the Americas (from the Southern U.S. to Chile, excluding the Amazon), most of Australia, much of Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia. In the Caribbean, it is present from the Bahamas and Cuba south to Trinidad, Curaçao, and Aruba, where in it is believed to be native to Hispaniola and certainly Cuba, but possibly native or naturalised elsewhere. In the U.S., it is thought to be native to southern Texas, southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, and southern California, but perhaps naturalized in southern Louisiana, coastal Mississippi, coastal Alabama, coastal Georgia, and southern Florida.

Edible Parts of Acacia

Its young leaves, flowers, and pods are edible raw or cooked.

Other Uses for Acacia

The bark is often used for its tannin content.  A black pigment in the bark and fruit can be used for dye or ink.

The bark and the flowers are the parts of the tree most used in traditional medicine. A. farnesiana has been used in Colombia to treat malaria, and recently it has been been confirmed in the laboratory that extract from the tree bark and leaves is effective against the malarial pathogen Plasmodium falciparum. Indiginous Australians have used the roots and bark of the tree to treat diarrhea and diseases of the skin. The tree’s leaves can also be rubbed on the skin to treat skin diseases.

Image Credits

In-Article Image Credits

Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush via Plant Net by Luca Favorido with usage type - Creative Commons License. July 8, 2021
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush leaves seed and flower via Planet Net by Dominique Wernert with usage type - Creative Commons License. February 15, 2019
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush plant via Plant Net by Denis Desnyder with usage type - Creative Commons License. November 1, 2022
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush limb via Planet Net by Ortiz Carlos with usage type - Creative Commons License. December 25, 2021
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush leaves and flowers via Planet Net by Roberto Dessi with usage type - Creative Commons License. July 31, 2018
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush flowers close via Flickr by Forest and Kim Starr with usage type - Creative Commons License. February 2, 2003
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush leaves close via Flickr by Siddarth Machado with usage type - Creative Commons License. October 10, 2015
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush branch via Flickr by iddarth Machado with usage type - Creative Commons License. October 10, 2015
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush tree via Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center by Loughmiller, Campbell and Lynn with usage type - Creative Commons License. 1996
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush tree via Wikimedia Commons by Judgefloro with usage type - Creative Commons License. March 1, 2015
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush branches via Wikimedia Commons by US Department of Interior with usage type - Public Domain
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush plant parts drawing via Wikimedia Commons by Paul Hermann Wilhelm Taubert with usage type - Public Domain. 1891
Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush branches drawing via Wikimedia Commons by Paul Hermann Wilhelm Taubert with usage type - Public Domain. 1891

Featured Image Credit

Acacia farnesiana Needle Bush leaves close via Flickr by Siddarth Machado with usage type - Creative Commons License. October 10, 2015

 

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