Black babool
It is a tropical plant. It grows and is used in Rajasthan. It grows best on soils which are medium heavy with a good moisture status. It does not like clay soils. It grows in hot arid places. It grows below 500 m above sea level.
Also known as:
Babool, Babul, Banvalia, Baval, Gobbli, Jaali, Karivelan, Karuvelei, Kikar, Nallatumma
Synonyms
- Acacia arabica Willd.
- Acacia arabica sensu Brenan
- Mimosa arabica Lamk.
- Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Delile var. indica (Benth.) A. F. Hill
Edible Portion
- Seeds, Pods, Leaves, Bark, Gum, Vegetable
Where does Black babool grow?
Found in: Africa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Central Africa, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Himalayas, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, North Africa, Pakistan, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania
Notes: There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae.
Growing Black babool
Cultivation: Trees are grown from seed. They should be sown where required as seedlings do not transplant easily. The seed can be soaked in water for 2 or 3 days or treated with concentrated sulphuric acid for 5 minutes to break the hard seed coat and help them to germinate.
Edible Uses: CAUTION: The seeds have been reported as eaten but are toxic. The seeds eaten over long periods of time are considered to be deleterious to health. The pods are cooked and eaten. The seeds are roasted and eaten. The gum and powdered bark are eaten on the Deccan in India.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Pods | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Leaves | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Gum | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Bark | - | - | - | - | - | - |
References
Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 6
BHANDARI,
Bhardwaj, J. & Seth, M. K., 2017, Edible wild plant resources of Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Una districts of Himachal Pradesh, India. International Journal of Botany Studies. Volume 2; Issue 6; p 09-17
Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 14 (As Acacia arabica)
FAGG
GAMMIE, (As Acacia arabica)
GUPTA & KANODIA, (As Acacia arabica)
Kew Bull. 12:84. 1957
Krishen P., 2006, Trees of Delhi, A Field Guide. DK Books. p 268
Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 197 (As Acacia arabica)
Okigbo, B.N., Vegetables in Tropical Africa, in Opena, R.T. & Kyomo, M.L., 1990, Vegetable Research and development in SADCC countries. Asian Vegetable Research and development Centre. Taiwan. p 42 (As Acacia arabica)
PANT, (As Acacia arabica)
PRASAD, (As Acacia arabica)
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 26th April 2011]
Sahni, K.C., 2000, The Book of Indian Trees. Bombay Natural History Society. Oxford. p 76
Swaminathan, M.S., and Kochnar, S.L., 2007, An Atlas of Major Flowering Trees in India. Macmillan. p 128
WATT. (As Acacia arabica)