Umbrella thorn
The umbrella-shaped acacia of African savannas and Arabia; source of the highly prized dark samr honey of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- Flowering time varies with region and rainfall.
- Height
- 4-15 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
🐝 Add to my apiary
Log in to add it to your apiary.Value for beekeeping
Umbrella thorn is a flat-topped tree with curved thorns, ranging from the dry savannas of Africa to Sinai, the Negev, the Arabian Peninsula and southern Iran. Its small white-cream pompom flowers provide honey bees with nectar and pollen. On the Arabian Peninsula it is, together with sidr (Ziziphus spina-christi), one of the most important honey sources.
Flowering
Flowering depends on rainfall; in Arabia and Yemen it mostly falls between early summer and midsummer and is more abundant in wet years. Because it varies by year and region, no month range is given.
Honey and pollen
Samr honey is dark amber, thick, with a distinct aroma and a slightly bitter finish; it sells at high prices in local markets.
Note for the beekeeper
It does not grow outdoors in Europe or Turkey. In Yemen and Saudi Arabia beekeepers move their hives from valley to valley following the samr bloom. In the new classification most African acacias have been moved to the genera Vachellia and Senegalia.