Taxon: Vachellia nilotica (L.) P. J. H. Hurter & Mabb. subsp. nilotica

Summary

Genus:

Vachellia

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Caesalpinioideae

Tribe:

Acacieae

Nomen number:

465208

Verified:

05/11/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

30 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

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

Basionym
Mimosa nilotica L.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile
Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile subsp. nilotica
Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile var. nilotica

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia arabica (Lam.) Willd.
Acacia arabica (Lam.) Willd. var. arabica
Acacia scorpioides (L.) W. Wight
Acacia vera Willd.
Mimosa arabica Lam.
Mimosa scorpioides L.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

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. 172:515.

Common names

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	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	Northern Africa	Algeria			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Egypt			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Libya			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	Malawi			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	Gauteng		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	Gambia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea-Bissau			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	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 Tropical Africa	Togo			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-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Saudi Arabia
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Yemen			Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Iran			Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Iraq			Townsend, C. C. & E. Guest. 1966-. Flora of Iraq. Note: lists as Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Israel
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Syria
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Bangladesh			Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Nepal			Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Pakistan			Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Pakistan			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka			PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Myanmar			PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia			PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Caribbean	West Indies			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Cabo Verde
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka			Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia			PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia			Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
4	Naturalized	Southern America		South America		tropical
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	West Indies
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador	Galápagos

Native
Africa

NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya
NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Chad
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ghana, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West]

Asia-Temperate

ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
WESTERN ASIA: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan

Cultivated
Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Sri Lanka, Pakistan
INDO-CHINA: Myanmar
MALESIA: Indonesia

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: West Indies

Naturalized
Africa

MACARONESIA: Cabo Verde

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Sri Lanka
MALESIA: Indonesia

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: West Indies
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Ecuador [Galápagos]
REGION: South America (tropical)

Reference(s)

PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
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
Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
Townsend, C. C. & E. Guest. 1966-. Flora of Iraq. Note: lists as Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del.
Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	agroforestry		Pandey, C. B. et al. 2000. Soil properties under Acacia nilotica trees in a traditional agroforestry system in central India. Agroforest. Systems 49:53-61. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Environmental	boundary/barrier/support		Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:45-46. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Environmental	revegetator		Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:45-46. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Fuels	charcoal		Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:45-46. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Fuels	fuelwood		Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:45-46. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Materials	gum/resin		Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:45-46. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Materials	tannin/dyestuff		Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:45-46. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Materials	wood		Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:45-46. Note: as Acacia nilotica
Medicines	folklore		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 nilotica
Medicines	folklore	as Acacia nilotica	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs Note: as Acacia nilotica
Vertebrate poisons	mammals		Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa Note: as Acacia nilotica
Weed			Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds Note: as Acacia nilotica
Weed		as Acacia nilotica	Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia Note: as Acacia nilotica

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=465208. Accessed 15 April 2026.