Acacia Confusa – Sustainably Wild Harvested Whole Bark from Taiwan

More about Acacia Confusa

History

Acacia confusa Farmers collect it from downed trees during the rainy season. Acacia confusa is a native Taiwanese species. It is protected in the mountains because it is one of the most critical species in preventing landslides and soil erosion during heavy rains and earthquakes. As a result, harvesting root bark in Taiwan impacts the environment. Rather than causing damage to the tree, harvest the root bark.

Acacia Confusa description

Acacia confusa is a small tree with adult foliage of falcate phyllodes and juvenile and sucker-shoot foliage of bipinnate leaves; a trunk up to 1 m thick in ancient trees; phyllodes alternate, coriaceous, parallel-curving-veined, 8-10 cm long, narrowed at both ends; flowers yellow, in small globose heads 6-8 mm in diameter; heads 1 or 2 in the axil of phyllode (Stone, 1970; PIER, 2002)

The Acacia confusa tree’s bark can be extracted using hot water to get the extract. It consists of a variety of monomer, dimer, trimmer, and polymer molecules with flavan-3-ol-based structures, including gallocatechin and robinetinidol.

The wood was used for mine construction, firewood production, charcoal production, railroad ties, and agronomic practices.

Importance

Acacia confusa is a nitrogen-fixing tree that thrives in wastelands. It proliferates and adapts well to a wide variety of soils. It is widely planted for coastal shelterbelt forests, soil and water conservation, fuel wood stands, and ornamentation. The wood also has a lot of potential for the pulp industry. There are a variety of wood and non-wood end uses, including fuel wood, industrial and non-industrial domestic woodware, oils, bark products, honey, and tannins. Breeding and plantation management research is required.

Due to its remarkable capacity to sequester carbon dioxide and retain foliar particles, the plant has proven significant potential for avoiding air pollution. Like several other Acacia species, the wood and bark are rich in catechins used to dye, smear, and tan fabric.