Names and distribution: Botanically, the thorn bush acacia (Vachellia erioloba, syn. Acacia erioloba) belongs to the Fabaceae / Mimosa family. In addition, there are over 160 other species of the genus Vachellia worldwide, 80 of which are found in Africa alone. The thorn bush acacia is a cult tree in Namibia, which was also sung about in the former South West song. The species is widespread in southern Africa.
Wood appearance: The sapwood is yellow-white, clearly set off from the heartwood. Heartwood reddish brown when freshly cut. Wood is homogeneous, fine-pored and dispersed. Heartwood decorative.
Properties: The specific weight is given as 0.95 … 1.20 t/cbm at u=12%, moderately shrinking. The tangential shrinkage is 5.6%, the radial shrinkage 5.2%. Drying must be slow and gentle, as thorn bush acacia tends to crack. The dimensional stability, on the other hand, is surprisingly good and quite comparable with rosewood. The wood should only be worked with carbide-tipped tools. It is easy to polish and produces smooth surfaces. The thorn bush acacia is an extremely dense and hard wood with high bending stiffness. The modulus of elasticity is approx. 30 GPa (CIRAD). The heartwood is weather resistant.
Use: Due to its limited availability, it can only be used as special wood, e.g. for woodturning and bows.
replaced: Pernambuco and others, etc.
References: Gottwald (1970), Holzbestimmung der wichtigsten Handelshölzer
Wood Database (2016), Data Sheet
Note: according to the latest findings, but excluding any liability
