Orfot (Vachellia oerfota (Forssk.) Kyal. & Boatwr., formerly Acacia oerfota (Forssk.) Schweinf.) is an important legume tree and browse species for goats and camels in the arid and semi-arid zones of the Eastern Sahel and East Africa, where it is commonly found with other acacias such as Acacia mellifera and Acacia laeta (FAO, 2017).
Morphology
Vachellia oerfota is a grey-green multistemmed bush, up to 1-2 (-5) m high that branches profusely from its base. The crown is irregular or flat topped. The bark is grey and produces an unpleasant smell if cut. The branchlets bear pairs of short conical straight thorns, white with a brown tip, often pointing backwards. The leaves are pinnately compound, with 2-8 (-12) pairs of pinnae, and about 2-4 cm long. Five to 15 pairs of leaflets are borne on the pinnae. The inflorescence is borne in the axil of spines and forms a rounded cluster of 1-3 whitish, very fragrant flowers. The fruits are elongated ellipsoid flat, softly hairy pods. They are 5-10 cm long x 1.2-1.3 cm wide, they have a sub-mucronate tip and they contain 5-10 small, flat seeds, olive-green in colour becoming straw-coloured when they mature (FAO, 2017; Bekele-Tesemma, 2007; Bein et al., 1996).
Uses
Orfot is an important browse species. It produces good firewood. The bark yields tannins, has ethnomedicinal uses, and its fibre is used to make ropes (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007).