Acacia

Acacia

Flat-topped tree of the desert

שיטהVachellia

Acacias are thorny, umbrella-shaped trees of the Negev and the Arava. Their deep roots reach water far below the surface, and their shade shelters gazelles, ibex, and desert birds. Camels and goats eat the pods. The Hebrew name shita appears in the Bible, where shittim wood is used to build the Tabernacle, and the wood is hard and resistant to decay. Many acacias in the south are protected, and some have survived for generations in dry riverbeds.

Glossary: Acacia