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Vachellia reficiens, the red-bark acacia, is a deciduous tree or shrub from dry parts of southern and eastern Africa, often growing up to about 5 m with a flat crown. It needs full sun, well-drained or rocky soil and very little water, and it suits hot, arid conditions.
Vachellia reficiens (Afrikaans: Rooihak, German: Rotrindenakazie), commonly known as red-bark acacia, red thorn, false umbrella tree, or false umbrella thorn, is a deciduous tree or shrub of the pea family (Fabaceae) native to southern Africa, often growing in an upside-down cone shape and with a relatively flat crown.
Vachellia reficiens is found in the drier areas of Africa, in the countries of Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. This plant prefers rocky soil types and it does not grow in high rainfall areas, but rather in semidesert and arid shrubland.
The nomadic Ngisonyoka people in the Turkana District of Kenya use Vachellia reficiens wood to build temporary houses. In Namibia's Kaokoveld region, the branches of this tree are used for fencing and the bark is used to curdle milk, while the thorns can be used to pierce ears. The seeds can be baked in hot ash, crushed, ground and mixed with tobacco to use as snuff. The Giriama people use the wood for firewood and charcoal, and straight stems for poles.
Vachellia leucophloea · Vachellia nilotica subsp. hemispherica · Vachellia schaffneri · Vachellia tortilis · Vachellia xanthophloea · Roman Cassie · Bullhorn Wattle · Camel thorn · Sweet Acacia · Robber Thorn · Sweet Thorn · Babul
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vachellia reficiens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
