From the pods a black leather dye called “kuloko” is made.
ACACIA CAMPYLACANTHA Hochst.—Kumbar Shafo, Farichin Shafo, Karo, Karki. LEGUMINOSAE.
A tall tree somewhat resembling Acacia Sieberiana, especially in the case of full-grown trees of both species. A comparison of the bark, thorns and pods will readily distinguish one from the other. It is the tallest and most erect of the acacias in the north, reaching a height of 60 or more feet and girths of 4-6 feet when growing, as is very commonly the case, in dense clumps on stream banks, hillsides and on the sites of old towns. This last peculiar situation is sometimes explained locally by the fact that cattle eat the pods and deposit the undigested seeds on the site of a cattle camp in a deserted town. The bole is often 30 feet or more in length in these clumps, the crowns high and flat-topped and meeting overhead, forming a density of shade sufficient to kill all growth of grass on the floor. Old trees in the open have lower, wider-spreading and more open crowns, with shorter boles and bear a marked resemblance, at a distance, to A. Sieberiana. They commonly reach over 6 feet in girth.
The Bark is a pale yellowish colour, sometimes almost white, and is smooth, with small, regular, brownish scales which in old trees are grey and coarser. The slash is crimson with white streaks, very fibrous.
The Thorns, which are the readiest means of distinguishing this species from A. Sieberiana, are short, strong, recurved, and brown with a black point. They resemble falcons’ claws, from which they get their native name. They are in pairs at a widely obtuse angle.
The Wood is a very dark brown, with almost black streaks. The sapwood is white. In transverse section the rings show as irregular dark bands, the pores are small, few and connected by very thin lines of soft tissue, the rays are very fine, waved and unevenly spaced, invisible to the naked eye. In vertical section the rings show as bands of dark brown and almost black and there are lighter areas. The wood is hard, fibrous and bad to saw, not easy to plane, though the finished surface is smooth and will take a good polish. The long fibres pick up badly in places. The weight is 52 lbs. a cubic foot.
The Leaves are bipinnate, about 9-10 inches long with 20-25 pairs of leaflets which droop on each side of the mid-rib. The narrow leaflets are ³⁄₁₆ inch long, slightly curved and a dull, dark green.
The Flowers are in 4-5 inch spikes about ½ inch in diameter, densely crowded with cream-coloured scented flowers with numerous stamens. They appear from May-July in masses amongst the leaves.