Black Thorn – Acacia mellifera or Acacia detinens – Naturally occurring
Setswana: Monga
The Black Thorn is an attractive reasonably common tree at The Plot.
The name mellifera, means honey-bearing; which refers to the sweet-scented flowers that attract many bees. Detinens: means, detaining or holding back, although small, the many thorns are wicked and a person passing can be caught up in them.
Black Thorns spread rapidly, both from seed and vegetatively, to the extent that it can become a menace, forming impenetrable, tangled thickets, especially on badly managed or overgrazed lands.
Beauty of the Black Thorn
Flowers, that are sweetly scented, appear in August or September before the tree comes into leaf and makes it an attractive show. The flowers are cream to white, but they take on a brownish hue when fading.
Animals:
The leaves and short pods are nutritious and are eaten by stock as well as game like black rhino, springbok, steenbok, grey duiker, gemsbok, wildebeest, kudu, eland, impala and giraffe. It is the larval host for the Silvery Bar butterfly.
Flowers are sweetly scented and are attractive to bees. The nectar also attracts Bush babies and bats. The scent is strongest at night so it also attracts moths.
The twigs with all its thorns make it a great place for birds to nest.
Other Uses
The heartwood is dark brown to greenish-black and makes good furniture and, when oiled, turns black. It is termite resistant and is used for fence posts and hut construction. It is also used as fuel and for making charcoal.
It is widely used in traditional medicines against various diseases such as pneumonia and malaria, with bark extracts exhibiting anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity.
The roots are used medicinally for stomach pain, syphilis, sterility, and an aphrodisiac.
Twigs are chewed and used by humans as toothbrushes.
A sprig is placed over a bed to ward off evil. It is used in money and love spells and the burned wood stimulates psychic powers.
The leaves contain DMT (N-dimethyltryptamine) – a hallucinogenic drug. Mental side effects may linger for many days or weeks after ingestion of the drug.
The wood ash is used to straighten hair and as a dye as it produces a red-brick colour.
The gum is enjoyed by children, animals and birds. It may be mixed with clay to make floors.
If planted close together and pruned, it will make an impenetrable, thorny barrier and hence can be used as live fencing.
The Black Thorn can also be considered for its ornamental value and makes it worthwhile cultivating for its fine floral display.
Pete & Sue in Botswana 