Bitter Trunk When antelopes or giraffes start eating acacia tree leaves, the trees send out signals to keep giraffes from eating too much of them -- making the leaves taste bitter, and alerting nearby trees to do the same.--nature museum.org
You read it first in this week’s The Factory in Guide magazine.
The Acacia tree is a pretty remarkable tree. Not only are there many kinds, but there are also many types. And these special trees can be used to make all kinds of things! Not only that, they have a unique ability to defend themselves.
The acacia inhabit tropical and subtropical places. Some types make their home in Africa, and others Australia and even Hawaii, and other islands of the Pacific. They can be trees or bushes, over one hundred known species.
Most types of acacia have yellow flowers, some have white, and a couple have red or purple. Each flower has many stamens, which give it a fuzzy appearance. The flowers grow in compact clusters shaped like a ball or a cylinder.
The acacia that can be found in Africa are favorites among the antelope and giraffe. So much so, that God provided the tree with a way to protect itself from the animals eating too much. The bark of most acacias is rich in tannin, which is used in tanning leather and in dyes, inks, medicines, and other products.
Maybe that's why most medicine's don't taste good!!
When the tree is getting stressed from too many animals eating its leaves, it sends out a signal for the leaves to produce more tannin. Not only does this turn the leaves bitter, but its signal can tell other trees downwind to also produce more tannin. In this way a whole grove can help protect itself from over harvesting by animals.
However, the Lord also created the giraffe to be very intelligent and resourceful. They have learned that if they continue to eat upwind, those trees have not yet received the signal to produce more tannin, so their leaves still taste good.
In Australia, some species are called wattle and can bear thorns as well. The more valuable tannin producers are the golden wattle, silver wattle and green wattle types.
Did you know that the acacia tree was even around in Bible times?! It’s mentioned in Exodus 25. The ark of the covenant was created out of acacia wood, as well as some of the other furniture for the sanctuary. That is some well preserved species of tree!
Learn More About This Fact
For more interesting facts, click on the buttons below!