Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willdenow

Synonyms: Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. var. farnesiana,
Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch.
Acacia minuta (M.E. Jones) R.M. Beauch. ssp. densiflora (Alexander ex Small) R.M. Beauch.
Mimosa farnesiana L.
Vachellia farnesiana (L.) Wight & Arn.

Duration: Perennial
Family: Fabaceae - Pea family
Group: Dicot
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

Bangla/Vernacular Name: Gokul, Belatibabul, Guyababla.

Tribal Name: Kanta naksha (Chakma), Hoyzy/Khoiaiye (Khumi).

English Name: Cassie flowers, Sponge tree, Strinking Acacia, Sweet Acacia.

Description of the Plant:

A small, much branching, deciduous tree or shrub with zigzag branches and stipular spines. Leaves 2-pinnate, pinnae 8-16, leaflets 20-40. Flowers very small, fragrant, deep-yellow, in globose axillary heads. Fruit long, subcylindric, turgid, slightly curved.

Chemical Constituents:

Isorhamnetin-3,7-glucorhamnoside, gallic acid, ellagic acid, m-digallic acid, methyl gallate, kaempferol, aromadendrin, naringenin, kaempferol-7-diglucoside, naringenin-7-glucoside and a new glycoside, probably naringenin-7-diglucoside acylated with gallic acid have been isolated from flowers. Flowers also contains d-pinitol a pigment, isorhamnetin-3,7-glucorhamnoside. Pods yield a new acylglucoside characterized as naringenin-7-O-ß-D-(6''-O-gal-loyl) glucopyranoside (prunin-O-6''-gallate); rutin and apigenin-6,8-bis-C-glucopyranoside (0.4%). A novel amino acid N-acetyl-L-djenkolic acid has been isolated from seeds. Leaves contain tannins, alkaloids; also rutin and apigenin-6,8-bis-C-glucide; cyanogens; linamarin, lotaustralin and an unidentified one (Rastogi & Mehrotra, 1990 & 93; Asolkar et al., 1992).

Mode of Uses:

• A paste of leaves mixed with mustard oil is applied to the forehead for the treatment of headache and a bark extract is used as a dye for thread used in traditional hand weaving (Chakma).
• Tie a piece of bark with a thread round the neck or hand of frightened child for the treatment of phobia.
• This species is planted in home garden as ornamental and for good smell (Khumi).

Distribution:

Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Rangamati.