Vachellia oerfota is a species of shrub or tree native to northeastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iran.
Botanical description It is a somewhat obconical shrub which grows up to about 5 metres high.J. P. M. Brenan: Flora of Tropical East Africa, 1959 The branches often radiate from the base in all directions. The branchlets tend to be straight and are grey-white, with grey-white spines with brown tips, 0.5 to 1.5 cm long. The pinnae are in 3 to 12 pairs, with leaflets in 5 to 15 pairs, about 0.3 cm long. The flowers are off-white in globose heads, and are very fragrant Pods are 5 to 10 cm long, 1.25 cm broad and pale yellow, pointed at both ends. The seeds are olive-green, with five to ten in a pod.Andrews F.W. 1952. Flowering plants of the Sudan. Vol. II Sterculiaceae-Dipsacaceae. T. Buncle & Co. publ., Arbroath, Scotland. It has an offensive smell when bruised or cut.
Distribution Vachellia oerfota occurs mainly on alluvial silt soils. It is native to north-eastern Africa from Egypt to Chad and Tanzania, and to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
Varieties Two varieties are accepted. Vachellia oerfota var. brevifolia – Somalia, western Socotra Archipelago incl. incl. Abd al Kuri, Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia Vachellia oerfota var. oerfota – northeastern Africa from Egypt to Chad and Tanzania, Socotra Archipelago, Arabian Peninsula (Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen), and Iran
Uses It is an important legume tree commonly browsed by goats and camels in Africa. It is valued as a fodder by pastoralists.Heuzé V., Thiollet H., Tran G., Lebas F., 2018. Orfot (Vachellia oerfota). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/344 The leaves and pods are high in calcium, and the leaves are a good source of phosphorus.Dougall, H.W. & Bodgan, A.V. 1958. Browse plants of Kenya – with special reference to those occurring in South Barino. E. Afr. Agric. J., 23: 236-245.
The bark extract is said to have medicinal value amongst the Borana of Ethiopia, where it is boiled amongst other things for colds.Coppock, D. Layne, The Borana Plateau of Southern Ethiopia: Synthesis of pastoral research, development and change, 1980-91. ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1994 Amongst the Samburu of Kenya is used for "women's stomach pain, hetpatitis, fever and gonorrhoea".Fratkin, Elliot: Traditional Medicine and Concepts of Healing among Samburu Pastoralists of Kenya in Journal of Ethnobiology 16(1) Summer 1996 It is used in making beverages. The bark is peeled, soaked in water and drunk as tea.
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