# Apple-ring acacia (Faidherbia albida)

> 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'.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/faidherbia-albida · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Winter thorn, White acacia, Gao, Ana tree
- Family: Fabaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, loses its leaves in winter
- Mature height: 25 m; spread 20 m
- Growth: Medium growth; lives about 150 years
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low water
- 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).

**Benefits:** Fixes nitrogen, Shade, Drought tolerant, Wildlife, Pollinators, Long lived, Holds soil, Edible

**Good for:** Agroforestry, Reforestation, Windbreak

**Watch out for:** Thorns, Large roots

## 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.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Ethiopia; Kenya; Mali; Malawi; Niger (Core of farmer-managed natural regeneration landscapes); Senegal; Tanzania; South Africa; Zambia; Zimbabwe
- **Adapted:** India (Exotic per ICRAF); Pakistan (Introduced per WCVP)

## 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