Gum Arabic Tree (Vachellia nilotica)

Family: Fabaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Vachellia nilotica, commonly known as Gum Arabic Trees is native to Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent. It grows up to 20 m tall with a dense spheric crown. The leaves are bipinnate. Flowers, golden-yellow in color, are in globular heads.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Bark/Inner Bark

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweetmeats and candied flowers. — The young pods, young leaves and shoots are used as vegetables.; The sprouted seeds are consumed as a vegetable.; The seeds can be mixed with dates and then fermented into an alcoholic beverage.; The flowers are made into fritters.

Habitat & North American Range

Woodlands of various sorts, wooded grasslands, scrub and thickets. Often found along river banks which are subject to periodic inundation. Found at elevations from sea level to 1,300 metres. (Zone 10)