Vachellia seyal

{{Speciesbox

| name = Red acacia

| image = Acacia-seyal-leaves.jpg

| genus = Vachellia

| species = seyal

| authority = (Delile) P.J.H.Hurter

| synonyms_ref = [http://www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb?version~10.01 ILDIS LegumeWeb]

| synonyms = * Acacia fistula Schweinf.

Acacia flava (Forssk.) Schweinf. var. seyal (Delile) Roberty
Acacia seyal Delile
Acacia stenocarpa A.Rich.

| subdivision_ranks = Varieties

| subdivision = * Vachellia seyal var. fistula (Schweinf.) Kyal. & Boatwr.

Vachellia seyal var. seyal (Delile) P.J.H.Hurter

}}

File:Acacia-seyal-bark.jpg

File:Vachellia seyal, Terekeka, Sudán del Sur, 2024-01-29, DD 214.jpg

Vachellia seyal, the red acacia, known also as the shittah tree (the source of shittim wood), is a thorny, 6– to 10-m-high (20 to 30 ft) tree with a pale greenish or reddish bark. At the base of the {{convert|3|–|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} feathery leaves, two straight, light grey thorns grow to {{convert|7|–|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} long. The blossoms are displayed in round, bright yellow clusters about {{convert|1.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} diameter.

In Vachellia seyal var. fistula, which is more common on heavy clay soils, some of the thorns are swollen and house symbiotic ants.

{{cite journal |last=Young |first=T.P. |author2=Cynthia H. Stubblefield|author3= Lynne A. Isbell |authorlink3=Lynne Isbell|date=December 1996 |title=Ants on swollen-thorn acacias: species coexistence in a simple system |journal=Oecologia |volume=109 |issue=1 |pages=98–107 |doi=10.1007/s004420050063|pmid=28307618 |s2cid=26354370 }}

It is distributed from Egypt to Kenya and west to Senegal. In the Sahara, it often grows in damp valleys. It is also found at wadis on the Arabian Peninsula.

Varieties

Two varieties are recognized:[http://www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb/6.00/fam/f2.shtml ILDIS]

Vachellia seyal var. fistula (Schweinf.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
Vachellia seyal var. seyal

Hybrids

Vachellia seyal occasionally hybridizes with V. xanthophloea.

Uses

= Gum arabic =

Vachellia seyal is, along with other Vachellias, an important source for gum arabic, a natural polysaccharide, that exudes from damaged stems and solidifies.[http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Acacia_seyal.html Purdue University]

The gum of V. seyal is called gum talha, from Arabic {{lang|ar|طلح}} ṭalḥ, a term for any fruiting tree.

= Tanning =

Parts of the tree have a tannin content up to 18-20%. The bark and seed pods of V. seyal var. seyal have a tannin content around 20%.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/V5360E/v5360e0h.htm|title=Tables (Cont. c)|website=www.fao.org|access-date=2017-08-03}}

= Wood =

Wood from the tree is recorded to have been used in Ancient Egypt to make coffins and also the Ark of the Covenant.[https://www.botanical-dermatology-database.info/BotDermFolder/LEGU-12.html#Vachellia%20seyal Vachellia seyal] in [https://www.botanical-dermatology-database.info/ BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database]