CamelThorn Tree

 
Setswana Name:  Mogotlhho
 
Botanical Name: 

Acacia erioloba

 
Family:

Pod-bearing Family (Fabaceae)
 

The Camel Thorn is synonymous with Botswana and, like everywhere else in the country, very common in Moremi and the Okavango Delta. The dark, blue-green canopy and the black branches sharply silhouetted against the straw-coloured grass make for yet another of the most striking landscapes to be found in Botswana.
 
The name "Camelthorn" was given by Jacobus Coetse in 1760.  It is a direct translation of the Afrikaans name "Kameeldoring", meaning "Acacia of the Giraffe", and is therefore not at all associated with the camel. Giraffes are partial to all acacias and have a specially adapted tongue and lips that appear to be immune to the vicious thorns. The Camelthorn can grow up to 17m high.
 
It is distinguished from other acacias by the blue-green colour of the foliage, the almost black bark and the untidy, pendant, broken branches and twigs. Young twigs are noticeably angled between pairs of large, white thorns. The most outstanding characteristic, however, are the large ear-shaped pods which are relished by all browsers. It is a deciduous tree which loses its leaves for a short period only.
 
In order to obtain water, the roots penetrate the deep, sandy soil to great depths, which accounts for their green foliage virtually throughout the year. It has been recorded in Namibia that the roots of a particular tree attained a depth of 46 m. In the Kalahari Desert, where the Camelthorn is very common, it has tremendous value as a shadow tree both for humans and animals. It is also one of the first species to get new leaves in late winter, providing valuable fodder at a time which is critical for most browsers.

 
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Camel Thorn tree, is its seeds which forms a large crescent (or "half-moon"), up to 4 or 5 inches from end to end, and covered by a fine grey down, almost like that of a camel. These pods, of which a mature tree (80 years plus) can produce 500 kg in a season, contains a fine nutritious powdery inside, that surrounds a number of hard and shiny seeds. In severe drought periods, these seeds make up a major part of the survival rations of most Kalahari animals and are a very important survival food amongst the plants of the Kalahari.
 
The Camelthorn has a wide variety of medicinal uses: its bark is grinded into a powder and used to ease headaches, the gum is taken with warm water and used against flu and even its roots are used against coughing. Traditionally, the Khoi-San people used to burn the wood to use the ashes as facial decoration for the women; in Tswana culture a string is made from the seedpods and rapped around the feet for a traditional dance; and finally the seeds can be used as a substitute for coffee.