Description
This beautiful, deciduous small tree, 5m is very variable. The flowers are scented and are creamy yellow pompoms that open in spring. It is frost hardy and drought resistant. It should be planted in full sun and is an ideal plant for hedging/screening. The roots are aggressive so it should be planted 5m from buildings and pools. They have been measured at 35 meters deep in Botswana. It attracts birds like the shrikes and robins. . The seed pods stand up along a branch, hence the common name. There are pairs of hooked thorns. They are hard, woody and covered in fine hairs.They and the leaves are eaten by stock and game. In the Kalahari it is a host plant to desert truffles. Named for Rev George Harvey Vachel (1798-1839) a British priest and plant collector. He was chaplain to the British East India company in China where he collected plants. The Motswana call it ‘The house of the Lion’ as it is favoured by lions as a shade tree. The wood is hard, durable and is used for implements. In India the wood is used to build temples and in ritual fires. The magical uses in South Africa are numerous. A sprig is placed over a bed to war off evil. It is used in money and love spells and the burned wood stimulates psychic powers. It is used to treat leprosy and the roots are used for diarrhoea. The roots are also ground, mixed with fat and used as a hair treatment in Namibia. The name is derived from the Greek ‘acantha’ which means thorns and the Greek ‘hebe’ which means hairy and ‘klados’ which is a branch so it refers to a ‘hairy branch’.
