Vachellia nilotica subsp. kraussiana (Benth.) Kyal. & Boatwr.

This tree is propagated by seeds. Steps to follow: • Pre-treat with water (tap temperature), soaking seeds for 24 hours to get a good result, and scarify seed coat. • Sow collected seeds in seed tray filled with a ratio of 3 peat moss: 1 compost, 5 cm apart. • Irrigate the seed tray three times a week. • Germination commences from 4–12 days but some seeds commence after 4–5 months. Seed germination of this species is low and average germination is around 13%.

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Scented-Pod Acacia

Miller & Morris (1988) wrote that: "Acacia nilotica, which grows mostly in the coastal plains area of Dhofar, can grow to a great height and become a beautiful and graceful tree which, both in flower and in fruit, makes a most attractive sight. Livestock, however, are not enthusiastic about the foliage, unless very hungry, nor do they eat the pods. The pods' chief importance lay in their usefulness in the leather tanning process. The addition of crushed pods from this tree to whatever tanning agent was being used during tanning made the finished leather a lovely rich mahogany-red colour, as well as apparently enhancing its suppleness and tensile strength, and the large fruit were gathered and stored for this purpose. The additional effort involved in producing extra glossy red leather was expended mainly on articles for personal use and adornment, such as the decorated tobacco pouch, and the leather wallet ... for carrying the more personal and private possessions, or on leather to be used to decorate articles woven from palm fibre, on the leather fillet used by men to bind their long hair, and on the plaited waist string worn by all men from birth - on anything where the finished leather was intended to be beautiful, rather than purely functional and utilitarian. The wood of the tree, even when freshly cut, was used in the making of the lime employed in plastering houses and lining water channels, wells and water tanks of the plains agriculture. There were formerly many more of these trees in the Salalah plain, but they have been cut down over successive years: for lime manufacture, for the making of wooden artifacts, to clear areas for agriculture or for political reasons such as security. The wood was much appreciated for carving – spoons, small coffee cups, camel saddles, bowls and dishes, frames for beds and even pipes were made from this wood which is a lovely dark red colour and holds a fine gloss. It is termite resistant and lasts for a long time without splitting or cracking. It was used in much earlier times also for the manufacture of spears and arrows for which the wood was fire-hardened and oiled. Medicinally, the fresh leaves were used crushed and pounded to a paste with water as a poultice for boils and swellings or painted around the base of a swelling to draw the pus and relieve the pain resulting from the inflammation". (Ref. Plants of Dhofar). In addition, Ghazanfar (2007) mentioned: "The pods have been used in tanning leather and the wood in the manufacture of lime, and for making house posts and other utilitarian objects. The leaves have been used in traditional medicine as poultice for boils and for relieving pain from inflammation". (Ref. Flora of Oman; vol.2).

*POWO (2022). ""Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org *Ghazanfar, S. (2007). Flora of the Sultanate of Oman, vol.2: Crassulaceae – Apiaceae. Meise, National Botanic Garden of Belgium (Scripta Botanica Begica, Vol. 36). ISBN 9789072619747 ISSN 0779-2387. *Gledhill, D. (2008). The Names of Plants. Fourth Edition. Cambridge University Press, UK. ISBN 978-0-521-86645-3 ISSN 978-0-521-68553-5. *https://en.wikipedia.org *https://en.wiktionary.org *Miller, A., Morris, M. (1988). Plants of Dhofar, the Southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic, and Medicinal Uses. Published by Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman; ISBN 10: 0715708082 ISSN 13: 9780715708088.