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What is Acacia Wood?

Niki Foster
Niki Foster
Niki Foster
Niki Foster

There are about 1,300 different species of acacia trees and shrubs. A few acacia plants produce wood that can be used for furniture, ornaments, and flooring, as well as for firewood and pulpwood in the paper industry. Acacia wood is especially prized for furniture, because of its durability, lustrous finish, and varied shades.

Most acacia species are native to Australia, and the rest grow in tropical or temperate regions around the world. In addition to timber, acacia plants produce gum, tannin, edible shoots, and seeds and flowers with both culinary and medicinal uses. Acacia flowers are also used in perfume and aromatherapy.

A bowl made out of acacia wood.
A bowl made out of acacia wood.

Acacia wood has a long history of use. One variety, red acacia or Acacia seyal, is believed to have been used to build Egyptian coffins, the Ark of the Covenant, and Noah's Ark. Red acacia is native to northern and western Africa, where its wood is also burned as incense to treat joint pain and prevent fever.

Many varieties of acacia wood are both attractive and fragrant, making them ideal for luxury items and furnishings. One of the most valuable acacia wood varieties is Australian Blackwood, or Acacia melanoxylon. Blackwood trees can grow very large, up to 148 feet (45 m), and their timber is used in decorative furniture such as cabinetry, musical instruments, wooden tools and kegs, and boat building. Australian Blackwood features very light sapwood and rich, brown heartwood. Another Australian acacia variety, Myall wood or Acacia omalophylla, is also fragrant and used in ornaments.

Acacia wood is used in some guitars.
Acacia wood is used in some guitars.

Acacia koa, endemic to Hawai'i, was used by the ancient Hawaiians for surfboards, bodyboards, and wa'a, or dugout canoes. Today, like Australian Blackwood, acacia koa is often used in musical instruments, especially guitars and ukuleles. Koa is also used to make furniture. Unlike Australian Blackwood, koa trees grow slowly and have been logged out in many areas, making the wood rarer than other acacia wood varieties, and difficult to cultivate commercially. For this reason, Australian Blackwood is increasingly used as a substitute for koa in the manufacture of musical instruments.

Noah's Ark is said to have been built from red acacia wood.
Noah's Ark is said to have been built from red acacia wood.

The Highland tamarin or acacia heterophylla is another acacia species favored for its timber. It is endemic to Réunion island in the Indian ocean, but is now grown on Madagascar as well. In some areas, acacia wood is traditionally used for firewood. Acacia mangium trees have recently been grown in Indonesia and Malaysia for use in the paper industry.

Niki Foster
Niki Foster

In addition to her role as a HomeQuestionsAnswered editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting and unusual topics in order to get ideas for her own articles. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she majored in Linguistics and Anthropology.

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Niki Foster
Niki Foster

In addition to her role as a HomeQuestionsAnswered editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting and unusual topics in order to get ideas for her own articles. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she majored in Linguistics and Anthropology.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon999375

Wow, thought this was an article about trees? Who cares where whites or blacks come from? We are all here trying to survive together!

anon995919

Actually, It's a function of the level of melanin one has in their skin.

anon991596

If the sun was making black people then why aren't white people who are sunburned today turned black? Simple, it doesn't happen. Song of Solomon 1:5 isn't a literal change from white to black; rather it was a woman who was forced to work in the vineyards giving her a dark tan.

As for how white people came about, it has to do with that you won't / can't understand. Genetic mutation in the human genome, the presence of UV light, and possibly the shortening day as people moved north over the hundreds of thousands of years from NE Africa.

anon985216

Post No 4 is false. There is no such thing as a naturally Black person. The Bible states that people are turned Black or tan by the sun. "I am dark but beautiful, O women of Jerusalem dark as the tents of Kedar, dark as the curtains of Solomon's tents. Don't stare at me because I am dark the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn't care for myself my own vineyard." Song of Solomon 1:5

All people originated from Noah, so if Noah was Black, how did White people evolve? You can't get White from Black, but you can get Black from White, by being darkened by the sun.

anon959441

I was just commenting on the inaccuracy of the Noah's ark movie, where the people are white and it looks like Noah was European. The facts are that the ark was built of red acacia which is even pointed out here is native to Africa, just like Noah and his sons -- all black people. Too bad white supremacy causes people to lie about God and the Bible. This is one more lie I choose to reveal, or rather Yah of Hosts chose to reveal.

jwal33

Acacia wood is an excellent flooring option. It makes a durable walking surface and is particularly rich in texture. Acacia wood's grain is said to pair well with chisel scraping technique.

cmsmith10

Most species of acacia are used for valuable timber. It makes excellent and high quality furniture. Acacia seyal is said to be the shittah tree of the Bible, hence shittim-wood. We all know this as the wood used in the Ark of the Covenant. It is also used as a spiritual icon. It represents the purity of the soul and the eternal soul. Acacia farnesiana is used for perfumes due to its strong fragrance. Catechu is an astringent medicine made from boiling down the wood of the acacia and evaporating the solution.

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    • A bowl made out of acacia wood.
      By: Juan Jose Gutierrez
      A bowl made out of acacia wood.
    • Acacia wood is used in some guitars.
      By: mekcar
      Acacia wood is used in some guitars.
    • Noah's Ark is said to have been built from red acacia wood.
      By: www.photostock.am
      Noah's Ark is said to have been built from red acacia wood.
    • Acacia flowers are used to make incense and other aromatherapy products.
      By: gigidread
      Acacia flowers are used to make incense and other aromatherapy products.
    • Some types of acacia wood are used to produce hardwood flooring.
      By: Wollwerth Imagery
      Some types of acacia wood are used to produce hardwood flooring.
    • Most acacia species are native to Australia.
      By: Tupungato
      Most acacia species are native to Australia.