Acacia Senegal

Senegalia senegal is the celebrated gum arabic tree of the African Sahel, a small, drought-hardy species with a spreading crown, paired thorns and delicate grey-green foliage. Fragrant cream flower spikes appear before thin, papery pods, while the bark produces the clear amber gum traded for centuries as a stabiliser and binder in foods, inks, paints and many other products. A nitrogen-fixing pioneer of arid landscapes, it is adapted to poor sandy soils, fierce heat and long dry seasons, yet remains elegant enough for specialist collections.