Candle acacia, Candle-pod acacia
It is a tropical plant. It grows in hot dry areas. It is sensitive to frost. It grows between 750-2,950 m above sea level. It can tolerate wind and drought. It grows in areas with a rainfall above 100 mm. It can tolerate a 6-11 month dry season. It can grow in arid places.
Also known as:
Chiwonza, Omutoka, Setshi
Synonyms
- Acacia hebeclada DC.
- Acacia stolonifera Burch.
- Acacia stolonifera var. chobiensis O.B.Miller
Edible Portion
- Gum, Pods, Fruit, Seeds - coffee
Where does Candle acacia grow?
Found in: Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Notes: There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. It is the host to a Terfezia sp. truffle. Also as Mimosaceae. Also as Mimosaceae.
Status: The pods are a famine food.
Growing Candle acacia, Candle-pod acacia
Cultivation: Plants can be grown from seeds. The seeds are removed from the pod and have boiling water poured over them then left to soak for 24 hours. They are then planted in rich soil. It can be cut back and will re-grow.
Edible Uses: The seeds are roasted and used as a coffee substitute. They are also roasted and ground and eaten. The pods are occasionally eaten. The gum is eaten as a snack.
Production: It is slow growing.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gum | - | - | - | - | - | - |
References
Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 4 (As Acacia hebeclada)
Cat. pl. horti monsp. 73. 1813 (As Acacia hebeclada)
Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 32 (As Acacia hebeclada)
Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 200 (As Acacia hebeclada)
ILDIS Legumes of the World http:www;ildis.org/Legume/Web (As Acacia hebeclada)
Mannheimer, C. A. & Curtis. B.A. (eds), 2009, Le Roux and Muller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia. Windhoek: Macmillan Education Namibia. p 96 (As Acacia hebeclada)
Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 240 (As Acacia hebeclada)
Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 2. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town p 700 (As Acacia hebeclada)
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 126 (As Acacia hebeclada)
Rodin, 1985, (As Acacia hebeclada)
Roodt, V., 1998, Trees & Shrubs of the Okavango Delta. Medicinal Uses and Nutritional value. The Shell Field Guide Series: Part 1. Shell Botswana. p 163 (As Acacia hebeclada)
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] (As Acacia hebeclada)
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 62
Tanaka, 1980, (As Acacia hebeclada)
van Wyk, Ben-Erik, 2019, The diversity and multiple uses of southern African legumes. Australian Systematic Botany, 2019, 32, 519–546
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew