{"slug":"faidherbia-albida","scientific_name":"Faidherbia albida","common_names":["Apple-ring acacia","Winter thorn","White acacia","Gao","Ana tree"],"family":"Fabaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":25,"mature_spread_m":20,"growth_rate":"medium","lifespan_years":150,"hardiness_zones":null,"sun":"full","water":"low","soil":"Coarse, well-drained sandy alluvium and Vertisol flats with a reachable water table; tolerates seasonal waterlogging and salinity, not heavy clay","native_range":"Native across the Sahel and savannas of Africa from Senegal to Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya, south to Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and in the Middle East (Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen).","description":"One of Africa's largest thorn trees, reaching 30 m with a rounded crown and roots to 40 m deep, famous for its reverse phenology: it drops its leaves in the rainy season and greens up in the dry season. That lets farmers grow millet, sorghum and maize right under it while it fixes nitrogen, drops leaf litter and feeds livestock on its pods in the hungry season. It is the flagship tree of farmer-managed natural regeneration in Niger, Malawi and Zambia and of 'evergreen agriculture'.","care":"Plant seedlings at the start of the rains, weed and protect from browsing for two or three years; natural regeneration from root stock is usually cheaper than planting. Prune in the second year to control low branching; lop a third of the crown every three to four years for fodder, avoiding ragged wounds that let in pathogens. Bruchid beetles destroy stored seed; strangler figs and mistletoe can kill old trees.","benefits":["nitrogen_fixing","shade","drought_tolerant","wildlife","pollinators","long_lived","erosion_control","edible"],"uses":["agroforestry","reforestation","windbreak"],"cautions":["thorns","large_roots"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Sprawling_boughs_of_the_White_Acacia.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Sprawling_boughs_of_the_White_Acacia.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=1","https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Faidherbia_albida.PDF","https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/faidherbia-albida","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/faidherbia-albida.md","regions":[{"country":"ET","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"KE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"ML","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"MW","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"NE","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Core of farmer-managed natural regeneration landscapes","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"SN","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"TZ","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"ZA","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"ZM","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"ZW","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"},{"country":"IN","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Exotic per ICRAF","source_url":"https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=1"},{"country":"PK","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced per WCVP","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/5360150"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}