Taxon: Senegalia senegal (L.) Britton

Summary

Genus:

Senegalia

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Caesalpinioideae

Tribe:

Acacieae

Nomen number:

314620

Place of publication:

N. L. Britton & P. Wilson, Bot. Porto Rico 6:538. 1930 (Sci. Surv. Porto Rico & Virgin Isl.)

Verified:

03/07/1989 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

8 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Senegalia senegal (L.) Britton var. leiorhachis (Brenan) Kyal. & Boatwr. (1 active accession[s])
Senegalia senegal (L.) Britton var. rostrata (Brenan) Kyal. & Boatwr. (2 active accession[s])
Senegalia senegal (L.) Britton var. senegal (2 active accession[s])

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia senegal (L.) Willd.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia verek Guill. & Perr.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Assoumane, A. et al. 2013. Highlighting the occurrence of tetraploidy in Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and genetic variation patterns in its natural range revealed by DNA microsatellite markers. Tree Genet. Genomes 9:93-106.
Kyalangalilwa, B. & J. S. Boatwright. 2013. Phylogenetic position and revised classification of Acacia s.l. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in Africa, including new combinations in Vachellia and Senegalia. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 172:510.
Pedley, L. 1986. Derivation and dispersal of Acacia (Leguminosae), with particular reference to Australia, and the recognition of Senegalia and Racosperma. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 92:238.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Seigler, D. S. et al. 2006. The genus Senegalia (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) from the New World. Phytologia 88:47. Note: mentions

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	gum-arabic	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	gum-arabic-tree	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: as Acacia senegal
English	kher	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	Senegal-gum	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	Sudan gum-arabic	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: as Acacia senegal
English	three-thorn acacia	1	Timberlake, J. et al. 1999. Field guide to the acacias of Zimbabwe. Note: as Acacia senegal
French	acacia à gomme	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: as Acacia senegal
French	gommier blanc	2	Feuillet, C. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. French common names
German	Gummiarabikumbaum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: as Acacia senegal
German	Senegal-Akazie	2	Reichel, S. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. German common names
Spanish	acacia del Senegal	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: as Acacia senegal
Swedish	gummiakacia	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource) Note: as Acacia senegal

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Chad		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Somalia		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Botswana		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Eswatini		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Namibia		Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal	Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Limpopo	Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Mpumalanga	Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	North-West	Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Côte D'Ivoire		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Gambia		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mali		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mauritania		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Niger		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Senegal		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Rwanda		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Oman		Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Pakistan		Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
2	Cultivated	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Chad		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Chad
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Côte D'Ivoire, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West]

Asia-Temperate

ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, Pakistan

Cultivated
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan, Chad
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Nigeria

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India

Reference(s)

Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Bee plants	honey production		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 Note: as Acacia senegal
Environmental	boundary/barrier/support		National Academy of Sciences. 1979. Tropical legumes: resources for the future Note: as Acacia senegal
Environmental	ornamental		National Academy of Sciences. 1979. Tropical legumes: resources for the future Note: as Acacia senegal
Environmental	soil improver		National Academy of Sciences. 1979. Tropical legumes: resources for the future Note: as Acacia senegal
Fuels	charcoal		National Academy of Sciences. 1980. Firewood crops. Shrub and tree species for energy production Note: as Acacia senegal
Human food	gum/mucilage		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 Note: as Acacia senegal
Materials	gum/resin		National Academy of Sciences. 1979. Tropical legumes: resources for the future Note: as Acacia senegal
Medicines	folklore	as Acacia senegal	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs Note: as Acacia senegal
Medicines	folklore	as Acacia senegal	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. Note: as Acacia senegal

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=314620. Accessed 15 April 2026.