Acacia – What is it?!?

On the Pierce Flooring and Design blog Infloormation, a post about Acacia Hardwood by Mannington made me want to learn more about Acacia. As it turns out, it’s quite the versatile shrub/tree.

According to Wikipedia: Acacia (pronounced /??ke???/) is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. The plants tend to be thorny and pod-bearing, with sap and leaves typically bearing large amounts of tannins.

Where is it found?

Tasmania, Australia, Africa and America

What all is it used for?

Not only is it used for hardwood flooring, but it can also be used for:

• In Thailand it is used for soups, curries, omlettes and stir fries.
• In Mexico, the seeds are used raw in guacamole, sometimes cooked and made into a sauce, fritters and the dried seeds can be toasted and made into a snack.
• Acacia is listed as an ingredient in Fresca, a citrus soft drink, RC Cola, Barq’s root beer, Full Throttle Unleaded Energy Drink, Strawberry-Lemonade Powerade^[9] as well as in Läkerol pastille candies, Altoids mints,Langer’s Pineapple coconut Juice and Wrigley’s Eclipse chewing gum.
• It can also be used for medicinal purposes.
• Ornamental species of Acacia are sometimes used for landscaping and even home protection. The sharp thorns make them ideal for placement under windows.
• Acacia can be planted for erosion control, especially after mining or construction damage.[
• If that’s not enough – it can even be used in perfumes!

Who knew this shrub/tree could be used for so many things! This is not to be confused with the popular Acai juice and berries that are sweeping the stores. Please let us know if you have heard of other uses for this product!