Medicinal Plants of Namibia

Plant:!Faidherbia&albida!! Family:!Fabaceae7!! ! Common(names:! Ana!tree22,!47!! Anabaum22,!47!! Anaboom22,!47!! Anahais22,!47!! Anas22,!47!! Mbunga22!! Omue22!! Omutele47!! Omuyele22,!47!! WinterSthorn22!! ! Range:(( Faidherbia&albida’s!habitat!tends!to!be!in!areas!of!shallow!water!tables!like!dry! rivers!and!flood!plains!and!along!roadside!trenches!where!animal!traffic!has! dispersed!seed13,!22.!!In!Namibia!these!plants!can!be!found!in!highest!concentrations! centrally!as!well!as!in!the!northwest!as!along!the!Caprivi!Strip7.!!The!Ana!tree!is!also! common!in!the!dry!ephemeral!riverbeds!of!Northern!Namibia7,!13.!!! ! Diagnostic(characteristics:( These!tall!trees!grow!up!to!15m!in!height13.!!Ana!trees!have!bipinnate!leaves!that!are! produced!in!the!winter!and!dropped!in!the!summer13.!!This!leaf!cycle!is!very!unusual! and!specific!to!Faidherbia,!distinguishing!it!from!Acacia13.!!Branches!have!short! pairs!of!spines13.!!Whitish!stems!with!grey!to!white!bark!occur!on!the!Ana!tree,!the! bark!darkens!with!age13.!!OrangeSred!seedpods!mature!on!Ana!tree!that!are! distinctly!twisted!in!shape7.!!Yellow!flowers!occur!in!spike!forms!in!most!abundance! during!the!months!March!and!September13.!!!!! ! ( (

Medicinal Plants of Namibia | Page 23