Species Acacia katangensis

Gk. akakia (a-kakos) = not good. Gk. ake, akis = a sharp point; probably refers to the spines (stipules) that are typical in many of these genera. The name given by early Greek botanistphysician Pedanius Dioscorides (c 40–90) to the Egyptian thorn, Vachellia nilotica, for its medicinal properties. However, this name remains controversial, and Southern African ‘Acacias’ are divided into two genera.