Fabaceae
Egyptian thorn
Vachellia nilotica
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Vachellia
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Common names
By language (38)
- Afrikaans
- Lekkerruikpeul
- Amharic
- ጨባ
- Arabic
- سنط عربي, شوكة مصرية, شوكه مصريه
- arz
- سنط عربى
- azb
- عربیستان آکاسیاسی
- Azerbaijani
- Ərəbistan akasiyası
- Bangla
- বাবলা, বাবলা আঠা গাছ
- Bhojpuri
- बबुर, बब्बुर
- Bulgarian
- Нилска акация
- Burmese
- ဆူးဖြူ
- Chinese
- 阿拉伯金合欢, 阿拉伯金合歡, 阿拉伯胶树, 刺相思树, 埃及相思树, 尼罗金合欢, 刺合欢, 胶树
- Czech
- Akácie arabská
- dag
- Bagalua
- dty
- बबूल
- English
- Egyptian thorn, Gum arabic tree, Babul, Egyptian acacia, Thorn mimosa, Thorny acacia
- Estonian
- Niiluse akaatsia, Araabia akaatsia
- Finnish
- Hartsiakaasia
- French
- Nèp nèp, Gonakié
- Gujarati
- બાવળ, બાવળિયો
- Hausa
- Bagarwa
- Hebrew
- שיטת הנילוס
- Hindi
- बबूल, कीकर
- Japanese
- バブール, アラビアゴムモドキ
- Kannada
- ವಾಚೆಲಿಯಾ ನಿಲೋಟಿಕಾ, ಗೊಬ್ಳಿ ಮರ, ಕರಿಜಾಲಿ
- lah
- کیکر, ککر
- Malagasy
- Acacia
- Malayalam
- കരിവേലം, കരുവേലം
- Marathi
- गावठी बाभूळ, बाभूळ, बाभळ, बाभळी
- Nepali
- बबुल
- Persian
- کرت, درخت بابل, درخت کرت, چش
- Punjabi
- ਕਿੱਕਰ
- Russian
- Акация нильская
- Sanskrit
- कृष्णखदिरवृक्षः, तीक्ष्ण कण्टक, पङ्क्तिः, बब्बु, युग्मकण्ट, वर्वुरः
- Sindhi
- ٻٻر
- Tamil
- கருவேலமரம், கருவமரம், கருவேல், நாட்டுவேலம், வேலமரம், வேல், கருவேலம்
- Telugu
- నల్ల తుమ్మ
- Urdu
- کیکر
- Wolof
- Nèp nèp, Nep Nep, Nép Nép
Synonyms
- Acacia arabica var. nilotica (L.) Benth.
- Acacia bambolah H.Karst.
- Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Delile
- Acacia nilotica subsp. nilotica
- Acacia nilotica var. typica A.F.Hill
- Acacia nilotica var. vera Roberty
- Acacia scorpioides var. nilotica (L.) A.Chev.
- Gumifera nilotica (L.) Raf.
- Mimosa nilotica L.
- Mimosa nilotica Thunb.
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Shrub, Tree
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced
Photos
Photo: J.M.Garg, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons ![Egyptian thorn: Acacia nilotica range map created with a blank map from the Commons, info from ILDIS LegumeWeb and the GIMP. More detail from USDA-GRIN [1]](/plants/vachellia-nilotica/photos/46098c57d9d8c0c7-s.webp)
Photo: Dcarlson, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: The original uploader was Madhav Gadgil at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Lucyin Derivative work: Carnby, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Sonu020, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
![Egyptian thorn: Acacia nilotica range map created with a blank map from the Commons, info from ILDIS LegumeWeb and the GIMP. More detail from USDA-GRIN [1]](/plants/vachellia-nilotica/photos/46098c57d9d8c0c7-l.webp)
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Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.