Vintage Acacia Senegal branch drawing from a 1911 encyclopedia. Considered the scholar’s encyclopedia, the text included many detailed descriptions of nature, including the entry on the acacia genus of shrubs and trees.
Acacia have small flowers and thin leaves. Some call them gum trees but Acacia Senegal is the true gum-arabic tree. It was identified as being abundant in east and west tropical Africa in 1911. 80% of today’s gum-arabic comes from Sudan. It is used as a stabilizer in food production (E414) and also used in printing, paint production, glue, cosmetics and a variety of industrial applications.
If this Acacia Senegal drawing were in color, the flower spike would contain bunches of small thistle-like flowers.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.