Acacia ataxacantha

SOURCE: JMK - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

SOURCE: JMK - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

NAME: Acacia ataxacantha

FAMILY: Fabaceae

COMMON NAMES: Benin rope Acacia, Flame Thorn

LOCAL NAMES: Ihun, ewon-adele, sarkakiyaa, uke

USEFUL PART(s): Young leaves, Bark, Root

GENERAL USES:

  • The wood and roots serve as a weaving material for making baskets.

  • The roots are used locally to make long-stem tobacco pipes.

  • The bark can be used for making ropes.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

  • Mauritania

  • Sudan

  • Uganda

  • Kenya

  • Namibia

  • Mozambique

Acacia_ataxacantha

WHY IS IT GREEN?

Acacia ataxacantha medicinal values include:

  • Dysentery

  • Backache

  • Abdominal pains

  • Headache

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

It forms an attractive screen and is usually used for security purposes

 

FURTHER READINGS

Aba, O. Y., Ezuruike, I.T., Ayo, R.G., Habila, J. D1and Ndukwe, G. I. (2015). Isolation , antibacterial and antifungal evaluation of α -amyrenol from the root extract of Acacia ataxacantha DC. Scholars Academic Journal of Pharmacy, 4(2), 124–131.

Amoussa, A. M. O., Bourjot, M., Lagnika, L., Vonthron-Sénécheau, C., & Sanni, A. (2016). Acthaside: A new chromone derivative from Acacia ataxacantha and its biological activities. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1489-y

Amoussa, A. M. O., Lagnika, L., Bourjot, M., Vonthron-Senecheau, C., & Sanni, A. (2016). Triterpenoids from Acacia ataxacantha DC: Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1266-y

Amoussa, A. M. O., Lagnika, L., & Sanni, A. (2014). Acacia ataxacantha (bark): Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the extracts. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 6(11), 138–141. Retrieved from http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84919342667&partnerID=tZOtx3y1

Amoussa, A. M. O., Lagnika, L., Tchatchedre, M., Laleye, A., & Sanni, A. (2015). Acute toxicity and antifungal effects of Acacia ataxacantha (Bark). International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research, 7(4), 661–668.

Arts, N. (2013). Phytochemical Analysis of Leaf Extract of Plant Acacia nilotica by GCMS Method. Advances in Biological Research, 7(5), 141–144. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.abr.2013.7.5.1110

Bachaya, H. A., Iqbal, Z., Khan, M. N., Sindhu, Z. ud D., & Jabbar, A. (2009). Anthelmintic activity of Ziziphus nummularia (bark) and Acacia nilotica (fruit) against Trichostrongylid nematodes of sheep. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 123(2), 325–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2009.02.043

Banso, A. (2009). Phytochemical and antibacterial investigation of bark extracts of Acacia nilotica. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 3(2), 082–085.

Carter, J. O. (1994). Acacia nilotica: a tree legume out of control. In Forage tree legumes in tropical agriculture (pp. 338–351).

Cramer, M. D., Chimphango, S. B. M., Van Cauter, A., Waldram, M. S., & Bond, W. J. (2007). Grass competition induces N2 fixation in some species of African Acacia. Journal of Ecology, 95(5), 1123–1133. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2007.01285.x

Cramer, M. D., Van Cauter, A., & Bond, W. J. (2010). Growth of N2-fixing African savanna Acacia species is constrained by below-ground competition with grass. Journal of Ecology, 98(1), 156–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01594.x

Dukku, U. H. (2003). Acacia ataxacantha: A nectar plant for honey bees between two dearth periods in the sudan savanna of northern Nigeria. Bee World. https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.2003.11099569