''Senegalia polyacantha'' subsp. ''campylacantha'' is a perennial tree native to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Common names for it are whitethorn and witdoring. It is not listed as being a threatened species. Its uses include wood and medicine.

Uses

Repellent uses

The root emits

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

s that repel animals including crocodiles,

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s and rats.

Medicinal purposes

Root extract of ''S. polycantha'' is useful for

snakebite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...

s and is applied to wash the skin of children who are agitated at night time.

Wood

The tree is good for using as firewood, but its thorns complicate its use. The tree's

heartwood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

has a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of about 705 kg/m³.FAO
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References

polyacantha subsp. campylacantha Trees of Africa Plant subspecies Plants used in traditional African medicine {{Africa-stub