Acacia leaves are open during the day and droop and close at night. This is in stark contrast to most leaves! The vertical position of the leaves during the day protects it from the intense sunlight, as with their edges towards the sky and earth they do not intercept light so fully as ordinary horizontally placed leaves.

The wood of the Acacia tree is very good for many uses including furniture, tools, boats, and wooden kegs. It is of about the same quality as walnut and it is well-suited for shaping with steam. The tree’s twigs and its bark are used to poison fish as a way of fishing. Ancient Hebrews considered Acacia to be the Shittah tree of the Bible which supplied the sacred wood.

Acacia is highly soluble, with low viscosity and a high soluble dietary fibre content, and therefore, used in meal replacement products, nutritional beverages, and weight-loss products. Acacia gum has been used in food as a stabilizer and in pharmaceuticals as a demulcent. It is used topically for healing wounds and has been shown to inhibit the growth of periodontal bacteria and the early deposition of plaque.

Categories: Plants