Tree Species

Vachellia erioloba

Different aspects of the Vachellia erioloba tree species
(Sources: Derek de la Harpe; Lei Thallb; Christine Sydes; Tessa Brunette)

 

 

Latin name: Vachellia erioloba

Common name: Camel thorn (E); Kameeldoring (A).

Main Features Size and type – medium to large; deciduous or semi-evergreen tree. Crown – flat-topped, dome or rounded. Contorted older branches. Bark – rough and thick with deep longitudinal fissures. Young twigs – hairless and often zigzag pattern. Spines – straight, pairs, swollen, fused at the base, have a white or reddish colour. Leaves – a bipinnate compound with conspicuously veined undersides. Flowers – golden yellow, with globose crowns. Winter to spring. Pods – large, thick, flat, semi-woody, have a half-moon shape, velvety grey colour, and do not split open (indehiscent).

 

Habitat: Bushveld and grassland, typically on deep sandy soils or next to watercourses in arid regions.

 

Uses: It is safe to eat the gum released by the bark. Although valuable as animal feed, pods occasionally poison livestock due to their high prussic acid content. Timber is a dense, heavy material that has been used to produce wagons, mine supports, and tool and implement handles. It has few competitors as fuel and is currently used commercially for firewood and charcoal. Burnt roots are used for headaches, dried, crushed pods are used for ear infections, heated pods are used for swellings, wood ash is used for wounds, and root infusions are used for cough. Ochre and seed oil are combined and then applied to the body as a lotion and cosmetic.

 

Similar species: Grey camel thorn, V. haematoxylon, is closely related but smaller with distinctive grey foliage. It has miniature leaflets which are narrower (6 – 14 mm) than the camel thorn and has grey velvety pods. It most often grows in deep Kalahari sand in arid areas.

 

Vachellia karroo

Different aspects of the Vachellia karroo species.
(Sources: Grinnin; Mary Hunter; David Hoare; Riaan Stals)

 

 

Latin name: Vachellia karroo

Common name: Sweet thorn (E); Soetdoring (A).

Main Features Size and type – shrub to medium size; deciduous, dark green. Crown – rounded. Bark – blackish grey to black, rough, and longitudinal fissures. Spines – straight, pairs, white colour, more prominent on juvenile plants. Leaves – bipinnately compound. Flowers – Bright yellow blooms in globose heads, primarily produced by the growth of the current season. Pods – sickle-shaped, flat, gently compressed between seeds, burst open (dehiscent), brittle valves.

 

Habitat: Found in coastal dune forests, grasslands, and bushveld; frequently abundant in overgrazed regions.

 

Uses: Gum is a crucial source of food for rural areas. Flowers, leaves, and pods make excellent fodder. Astringent infusions of bark and leaves are frequently used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. The gum, which is marketed as “Cape gum,” has been employed in the pharmaceutical business as a subpar replacement for gum arabic. It is traditionally used as an emollient, to treat oral thrush, and to treat haemorrhage. Young roots are used in food for babies with colic and in many other traditional medicines. When crushed, they have an odd fragrance. The wood is occasionally employed to make furniture and fence posts. Bark provides hides with a red colour and is ideal for tanning. The rope can be made out of the inner bark. It is an excellent shade tree and has become quite popular as an ornamental tree.

 

Similar species: Associated with a group of at least four closely related species that were originally all classified as A. karroo.

 

Senegalia mellifera

Different aspects of the Senegalia mellifera tree species.
(Sources: Derek de la Harpe; David Hoare; Shaun Swanepoel; Tony Rebelo)

 

 

Latin name: Senegalia mellifera

Common name: Black thorn (E); Swarthaak (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small shrub or bushy (multi-stemmed branches from low down), deciduous. Crown – spreading, rounded or almost flat. Young twigs – have white lenticels. Thorns – blackish, very sharp, hooked, paired at nodes. Leaves – bipinnately compound; 2 or 3 pinnae pairs; 1 – 3 leaflets per pinna; relatively large, 3.5 – 22 x 2 – 16 mm. Flowers – Blossoms in globose heads, typically light cream to white, seldom light to bright pink. (spring) Pods – pale brown, flat, papery, dehiscent.

 

Habitat: Regularly found on Kalahari sand, in bushveld and semi-desert areas. In overgrazed areas, it can form impenetrable thickets.

 

Uses: The root of the tree is used to curdle milk, and the gum from the tree is palatable. Pods have been consumed during famines. Flowers, pods, and leaves make excellent animal feed. For stomach pain relief, root decoctions are eaten, and twigs can occasionally be used as toothbrushes. The heavy, hard, and nearly black timber has been utilised to manufacture tools and implement handles as well as ornaments. Gardens are fenced in for protection using poles and branches.

 

Similar species: The similar growth form, reasonably large leaflets, and strongly thorny branches are characteristics of no other Acacia in our area.

 

Vachellia tortilis

Different aspects of the Vachellia tortilis tree species.
(Sources: Nigel Barker; Terry Gosliner; David Hoare; Alan Hortsmann)

 

 

Latin name: Vachellia tortilis

Common name: Umbrella thorn (E); Haak-en-steek (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small to medium, deciduous. Crown – densely and finely branched, rounded, typically flattened, and spreading or umbrella-shaped. Bark – dark grey, rough, and longitudinal fissures. Thorns – pairs at nodes, white, two varieties, short-hooked or mixed with long straight ones. Leaves – bipinnately compound, 2 – 10 pairs of the pinna, tiny – approximately 0.5-4 x 0.5-1 mm Flowers – globose clusters of white or light cream flowers. (spring-summer) Pods – cylindrical, indehiscent, firmly twisted in a spiral pattern, and either hairless or curled to a loose coil.

 

Habitat: Grassland and bushveld.

 

Uses: Bark wounds produce tasty gum that is expelled. Game and livestock utilise leaves and nutrient-rich pods. Elephants have a unique predilection for the bark, and they frequently kill or injure trees as a result. Although trees are a significant source of fuel in some rural regions, their value as construction materials is low.

 

Similar species: The only species in our area that has both hooked and straight thorns on the same tree is A. luederitzii, with the straight thorns of the var. retinens frequently swollen.

 

Adansonia digitata

Different aspects of the Adansonia digitata tree species.
(Sources: Frank Roland; Tjeerd DW; Santosh Gangurde; Robert Taylor)

 

 

Latin name: Adansonia digitata

Common name: Baobab (E); Kremetart (A); Umukwa (N).

 

Main Features Size and type – Medium to large sturdy tree, deciduous, profoundly enlarged trunk. Crown – spreading to a rounded crown which is supported by several thick branches. Bark – grey and silky with frequent folds. Leaves – In mature plants, the leaf is palmately compound with 3–9 leaflets; in seedlings and young plants, the leaf is simple. Flowers – White, big, pendulous flowers are present. Fruit – 120mm long, ovoid to elliptic, durable woody shell, heavily coated in yellowish-grey hairs.

 

Habitat: Prefers low altitudes in hot, arid bushveld regions.

 

Uses: The pulp of the dried fruit is consumed or combined with water to create a cool beverage. The fruit pulp is used in traditional medicine to treat fever, diarrhoea, and blood spitting. Fever can be treated with the bark, while minor diarrhoea and bladder problems can be treated with a blend of bark and leaves. Children are given powdered seeds as a hiccup treatment. This tree is one of a select few that can grow new bark over the entire area that has been removed, making the harvest of bark fibres sustainable. The inner bark is used to make strong ropes, hats, handbags, rugs, and textiles. Sometimes trees are grown as ornaments in warm climate regions. Baobab trees are the subject of numerous stories and folklore.

 

Similar species: Due to their characteristic growth form, mature trees are unmistakable. Juvenile plants may be confused with Sterculia rogersii and Sesamothamnus lugardii.

 

Boscia albitrunca

Different aspects of the Boscia albitrunca tree species.
(Sources: Marco Schmidt; Riana Fourie; Jeff Sandwith)

 

 

Latin name: Boscia albitrunca

Common name: Shepherd’s tree (E); Witgat (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small, deciduous to semi-evergreen, single trunk. Bark – smooth to rough, grey to whitish grey, and nearly white in arid areas. Leaves – alternate, oblanceolate to elliptic, stiff, and leathery leaves with a rounded or broadly tapering apex and frequently tipped by a small bristle are found on shortened branches. Flowers – are small, without petals, yellowish green, and found in tight clusters. Fruit – a globose berry, approximately 10 mm in diameter, yellowish colour and without hair.

 

Habitat: Range from wooded grassland and bushveld on termitaria to semi-desert areas.

 

Uses: Non-alcoholic beverages can be made from fruit or they can be consumed fresh. The buds from flowers can be picked in vinegar and serve as a caper substitute. To prepare porridge, roots are dried, stamped, and ground into a fine powder. This powder is then combined with grain meal. They are popularly used as an alternative to coffee. To make beer, fresh roots are pounded. Cattle and game browse the leaves. Traditional medicine uses root decoctions to treat haemorrhoids. Wood is occasionally used to make household items.

 

Similar species: B. oleoides is a closely related species which has a very similar appearance and can be found in the Eastern Cape and neighbouring parts of the Karoo. It does not have clustered leaves and each flower usually has 2 – 4 petals.

 

Burkea africana

Different aspects of the Burkea africana tree species.
(Sources: Richard Gill; V de Cauwer; Wikimedia Commons; Reuben Heydenrych)

 

 

Latin name: Burkea africana

Common name: Burkea (Nam; Zim); Mukarati (Zim); Wild-seringa (SA).

 

Main Features Size and type – medium, deciduous, tall, and erect. Crown – flattened and spreading. Branchlets – thick; velvety, red-brown hairs cover the growing tips. Leaves – bipinnately compound, alternate, clustered towards tips of shoots, 2 or 3 pairs of pinnae, 5 to 9 leaflets per pinna. Flowers – produced with the new leaves, drooping spikes, small and whitish (spring). Pods – elliptic and flat, 1 seed, indehiscent.

 

Habitat: Commonly found on deep sandy soils, bushveld region.

 

Uses: Gum produced by the tree is edible and has medicinal value.

 

Similar species: It serves as the host plant for an edible caterpillar (the larva of the moth Cirina forda). These caterpillars, which are occasionally confused with mopane worms, are also roasted and dried. Ulcers are treated with powdered bark or freshly chewed bark. The root is used to treat toothaches as well as diarrhoea, pneumonia, and stomach pain through decoctions and infusions as well as gargling. For heavy menstruation, a bark infusion is administered. Although heavy and hard, the wood is not very durable; it does however produce great fuel for fires. Fencing is constructed from poles and branches. Fish poison has been made from dried and crushed bark. Extracts of the bark, roots, or pods have been used for tanning, and the roots produce a red dye.

 

Celtis africana

Different aspects of the Celtis africana tree species.
(Sources: Wonder Walker; David Becking; Craig Peter)

 

 

Latin name: Celtis africana

Common name: White-stinkwood (E); Witstinkhout (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – medium to large, deciduous, single, upright trunk. Crown – rounded to broadly upright, healthy trees have dark green foliage and yellowish green leaves in diseased trees. Bark – smooth, pale grey. Leaves – simple and alternate, has 3 prominent veins from the base, ovate lamina, dull green colour, unidentified disease often causes broad yellowish marginal zone, dense hair. Asymmetric base, upper half or two-thirds of margin is toothed. Flowers – Inconspicuous, axillary, male and female flowers bloom on the same plant in spring along with the new leaves. Fruit – The fruit is an oval, approximately 6 mm diameter, yellow or brownish drupe.

 

Habitat: Often found on dolomite in forest, bushveld, or grassland.

 

Uses: Cattle and other domestic animals consume the leaves. Although the timber is tough and strong it has little commercial value. It has been used for furniture, shelving, spoons, dishes, and tool handles, among other household items. The common names come from the wood’s foul scent when it is first cut. It is one of the most widely used indigenous trees for horticulture and is regularly planted as an ornamental and shade tree.

 

Similar species: C. sinensis, a foreign species with glossy, hairless leaves, is sometimes confused with it in cultivation. The tall forest tree C. gomphophylla has enormous (80 – 190 x 25 – 90 mm) leaves with a weakly asymmetric base, a long drip tip, and an upper-half edge that is subtly serrated.

 

Colophospermum mopane

Different aspects of the Colophospermum mopane tree species.
(Sources: James Kuria; Ricky Taylor; Riana Fourie; Troos van der Merwe)

 

 

Latin name: Colophospermum mopane

Common name: Mopane (E); Mopanie (A); Omusati (Nam).

 

Main Features Size and type – shrub, medium to tall size; semi-deciduous to deciduous; single or multi-stemmed. Crown – roundish, narrow, and upright, yellowish-green colour. Bark – dark grey, thick, longitudinal fissures. Leaves – alternate, compound, bifoliolate (2 leaflets), 20-40 mm long petiole, stalkless leaflets, leaves resemble two butterfly wings with a minute protuberance between the pair; hairless, from the base 7-12 veins, when bruised it smells like turpentine. Flowers – inconspicuous with whitish-green colour. (spring to summer) Pods – indehiscent, flat and kidney-shaped.

 

Habitat: Low-altitude, hot bushveld, on alluvial or lime-rich soils; can be found in almost pure stands in mopane veld.

 

Uses: This tree is home to mopane worms (Gonimbrasia belina) which is a sought-after delicacy in some cultures. Livestock browses on the leaves. Bark decoctions are used to treat diarrhoea, constipation can be treated with leaf infusions, and leaves can be chewed and applied to wounds to stop bleeding. Branches can be heated and the gum which is exuded is used to cure slow-healing wounds. The wood is very durable and can be used for construction. A pestle for grain stamping can be made from heartwood. In the area where these species occur, wood is by far the most popular wood used for firewood. Bark extracts can be used for leather tanning to give a pale brown colour. The inner bark makes strong twine and cordage.

 

Similar species: The smaller and more round leaflets of the Guibourtia conjugate do not have a small appendage between them. G. coleosperma has distinctly stalked leaflets and dark green foliage.

 

Combretum apiculatum subsp. apiculatum

Different aspects of the Combretum apiculatum apiculatum tree species.
(Sources: Roland VL; Peter Erb; Alan Manson; Reuben Heydenrych)

 

 

Latin name: Combretum apiculatum subsp. apiculatum

Common name: Glossy combretum (Zim); Kudubush (Nam); Red bushwillow (SA); rooibos (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small to medium, deciduous, multi-stemmed or short and crooked trunk. Crown – sparsely branched, almost round; yellow-green foliage turns red-brown or golden-yellow in fall. Leaves – simple, opposite, elliptic to broadly obovate. Subsp. apiculatum without hair, subsp. leutweinii rarely have hair below. Varnish-like exudates often cover leaves; sharply tapered tip which is conspicuously twisted. Flowers – small, creamy, and yellow, with axillary spikes. (Spring to summer.) Fruit – 4-winged, 20-30 x 15-25 mm, sticky secretion covers them when young, yellowish to green tinged with a red colour.

 

Habitat: Rocky places in the Bushveld region.

 

Uses: Unpalatable dark red gum can be found on certain trees. Leaves can be brewed for a refreshing drink. Game and livestock both browse on the leaves. Stomach disorders can be treated with enemas made from leaf decoctions. Sticks are used to stir porridge while the poles are used to build huts and fences. Wood from this tree is excellent firewood and traditionally some of the best in southern Africa. The firewood is also being sold commercially. Coals are known to last for up to a day long. In the Kaokoveld, bark extracts are used for tanning.

 

Similar species: Occasionally subsp. apiculatum is confused with C. nelsonii, which is a smaller tree or shrub with straight or only slightly twisted leaf tips present. During the autumn months, subsp. leutweinii and Philenoptera violacea have very similar yellow foliage.

 

Cussonia paniculata

Different aspects of the Cussonia paniculata tree species.
(Sources: Peter Warren; Christien Steyn; Allen Birdcam; Adriaan Joubert)

 

 

Latin name: Cussonia paniculata

Common name: Highveld cabbage-tree (E); Hoëveldkiepersol (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small and sturdy, deciduous or evergreen tree, thick trunk, and branches. Crown – sparsely branched, grey to pale blue-green foliage. Bark – thick and corky, greyish brown with longitudinal fissures. Leaves – Very big, once compound leaves in terminal clusters with 7–11 undivided, radiating leaflets; strongly lobed or wavy (subsp. sinuata), whole or lightly toothed margins (subsp. paniculata). Flowers – Greenish-yellow flowers are borne in several branched panicles of spikes. (Summer to winter.) Fruit – drupe-shaped, purple fruit

 

Habitat: Found in wooded grassland or bushveld, and most commonly in rocky places.

 

Uses: The thick, tuberous roots are peeled and consumed as a source of moisture or as emergency food. The appetising leaves serve as livestock fodder. The leaves are a component of mixes used in conventional medicine to treat mild mental diseases. The wood is incredibly light and delicate. It was once used to create brake blocks for wagons. This beautiful, robust, frost-resistant specimen tree is perfect for the garden.

 

Similar species: Additionally, C. transvaalensis has greyish leaves that are differentiated by their twice-compound nature and spike-based flowering umbels.

 

Diospyros lycioides

Different aspects of the Diospyros lycioides tree species.
(Sources: James Bailey; Fayne; Mark Berry)

 

 

Latin name: Diospyros lycioides

Common name: Red star-apple (Zim); Bluebush (Nam, SA); Bloubos (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – shrub, small to medium, ascending branches, multi-stemmed. Bark – dark grey to almost black, smooth. Leaves – usually oblanceolate, 15 – 80 x 5 – 30 mm in size, simple, alternate, entire-margined; hairless mature blade, with improperly raised venation in subsp. lycoides and conspicuously raised in subsp. guerkei. Mature leaves are small, up to 20 x 10 mm, and in subsp. nitens it is dense silver and hairy; in subsp. sericea, sparsely covered, up to 80 x 30 mm, appressed hairs. Flowers – Male and female flowers are found on separate plants and are axillary, solitary, drooping, and creamy yellow. (Spring to summer.) Fruit – almost globose berry, up to 20 mm in diameter, hairy, ripens from yellow to orange, to dark red; persistent and enlarged calyx.

 

Habitat: Occasionally found along forest margins, generally in grassland, bushveld, and karroid regions.

 

Uses: Although fruits are edible, they aren’t incredibly tasty. In rural areas, twigs and shoots are popularly used as toothbrush sticks. It is the most extensively used and well-known source of chewing sticks, and it is also known to contain antimicrobial substances that can cause teeth to turn yellow. Palm leaves used in basketry get their yellowish-brown hue from the roots, which are also a significant traditional source of dye.

 

Similar species: With longer calyx lobes (up to 25 mm) and larger fruits (more than 20 mm in diameter), D. dichrophylla is mostly a coastal species.

 

Ehretia rigida

Different aspects of the Ehretia rigida tree species.
(Sources: Marie Delport; David Hoare; Gerrit Vede)

 

 

Latin name: Ehretia rigida

Common name: Puzzlebush (E); Deurmekaarbos (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – shrub or small size, deciduous tree, multi-stemmed. Crown – a rounded crown that is untidy; rigid and drooping branches. Leaves – Simple, obovate, virtually hairless leaves that are alternate or grouped on shorter stalks have a venation that is not very obscure and a tip that is broadly tapered to rounded with an entire edge. Flowers – Tiny, pale lavender, mauve to blue flowers are grouped in small clusters. Fruit – Fruit is a berry that can grow up to 8 mm in diameter, is spheroidal and ripens from yellow to a vivid orange-red to black.

 

Habitat: Located in dense Karroid vegetation, forested grassland, bushveld, and forest edges.

 

Uses: The berries are edible and only mildly sweet; they are not particularly appetising. To relieve chest and stomach pain, the powdered root is applied to tiny skin incisions. For cattle with gallsickness, roots are utilised. Stems are still used to create hunting bows and fishing baskets because the wood is resilient, robust, and flexible. When generating fire by friction, a branch can be used as the top twirling stick. Due to its hardiness and drought tolerance, the puzzle bush is growing in popularity in gardens.

 

Similar species: Three subspecies are found, namely subsp. rigida, nervifolia and sylvatica. E. alba is a species with thick leaves and white flowers and can easily be confused with. In the more arid central and western parts of southern Africa, it replaces E. rigida.

 

Grewia flava

Different aspects of the Grewia flava tree species.
(Sources: Joan Young; Wolf Achim & Hanna Roland; Mahomed Desai; Peter Erb)

 

 

Latin name: Grewia flava

Common name: Brandybush (Zim); Velvet raisin (Nam, SA); Rosyntjiebos (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small tree or multi-stemmed shrub, deciduous, leafy branches from ground level. Crown – rounded crown with grey-green foliage. Old stems rounded. Leaves – The leaves are elliptic to oblanceolate, alternating, simple, conspicuously 3-veined from the base, 14 – 70 x 7 – 25 mm, greyish green, densely hairy, and paler green below, with conspicuously elevated venation; tip rounded; base widely tapering, symmetric; margin finely serrated. Flowers – are yellow and found in axillary clusters. (Spring to summer.) Fruit – 8 mm-diameter, reddish-brown drupe that can be globose or barely 2-lobed.

 

Habitat: Found in arid areas and on sandy soils in the bushveld and wooded grasslands.

 

Uses: The fruits can be dried for later use, eaten fresh, or ground into a porridge meal. They are nourishing and play a significant role in the San people’s traditional diet. Fruits can be distilled to create a strong alcoholic beverage or typically fermented to generate beer. Both livestock and game consume leaves. A retained placenta in cows can be successfully expelled using leaf extracts. Twigs are chewed and used as toothbrushes. Thinner branches are typically used for arrow shafts or twirling sticks when making fire by friction, while thicker ones are suitable for hunting bows and walking sticks. Rope can be made from robust bark.

 

Similar species: G. flavescens has rough-haired, greenish leaves, and its elder stems have four angles.

 

Grewia occidentalis

Different aspects of the Grewia occidentalis tree species.
(Sources: Hans Böckler; Mary Hunter; Craig Peter; Tony Rebelo)

 

 

Latin name: Grewia occidentalis

Common name: Crossberry (SA), Pink Grewia (Zim), Kruisbessie (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small tree or scrambling shrub, deciduous, multi-stemmed. Crown – shapeless or rounded. Old stems rounded. Leaves – Simple, conspicuously 3-veined from the base, alternating, lanceolate to ovate, 20–50 x 10–30 mm; thinly textured; with or without sparse hairs above and below; finely serrated to the scalloped border. Flowers – Purple, pink, or mauve flowers are borne in 1-3 flowered, leaf-opposed clusters. Fruit – Fruit is a 4-lobed drupe that can be up to 25 mm in diameter and is reddish brown to purple.

 

Habitat: Found in thickets, forested grasslands, bushveld, and forest edges.

 

Uses: Fruits can be eaten, and they can also be boiled in milk to create a tasty beverage. Beer is made from ripe fruits. Game browses the plant and is valuable as livestock fodder. To alleviate bladder problems and to make childbirth easier, roots or root bark are utilised. Wounds are treated with bark infused in hot water. Bark that has been ground into a soapy paste is used to wash hair and is thought to prevent greying of the hair. Traditional uses of the wood include assegai handles, strolling sticks, and hunting bows. The plant is a beautiful and well-liked garden adornment.

 

Similar species: G. pondoensis is only found in Pondoland and has thick, leathery, dark green leaves with a sub-entire border. G. robusta has rigid, spine-tipped branches and leaves that are frequently grouped on short side shoots. It is mostly found in the Little Karoo and arid regions of the Eastern Cape.

 

Olea europaea subsp. africana

Different aspects of the Olea europaea africana tree species.
(Sources: Tony Rebelo; David Becking; Richard Gill)

 

 

Latin name: Olea europaea subsp. africana

Common name: African olive (Zim), Wild olive (Nam, SA), Olienhout (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small to medium, evergreen; short, gnarled and crooked trunk. Crown – dense, rounded, dome-shaped crown, greyish-green foliage. Young twigs – 4-angled, greyish with whitish lenticels. Leaves – The leaves are opposite, simple, narrowly oblong-elliptic, 7–17 mm wide, shiny dark green above, frequently covered in tiny whitish scales, and greyish below from a thick layer of silvery or brown scales. The tip is sharply pointed; the margin is entire, rolled under; and the side veins are undetectable. Flowers – Very little, white, or cream, loose, axillary, or occasionally terminal heads of flowers with two stamens are present. (Spring to summer.) Fruit – Fruit is a drupe that is oval, about 10 x 8 mm, and dark purple to black. Subsp. africana was mentioned in all the African-themed content.

 

Habitat: Variable, typically found by waterways or on rocky hillside terrain.

 

Uses: Fruit is edible but not particularly flavourful. Game and livestock graze on leaves. In many cultures throughout the world, wild olive leaves are traditionally used to decrease blood pressure. Bark and leaf decoctions are used to cure colic, sore throat, diarrhoea, sore eyes, and urinary issues in southern Africa. The wood is robust, hefty, thickly-grained, and resilient. It is a golden-brown colour with a dark figure. While larger pieces of timber are needed to produce high-quality furniture, the roots are highly sought after for turnery and for manufacturing little ornaments.

 

Similar species: Buddleja saligna is very similar, the lower surface of the leaves is white and prominently veined.

 

Salix babylonica

Different aspects of the Salix babylonica tree species.
(Sources: Heriberto Ávila – González: Lucia Bauret; Ken Potter; Tanya)

 

 

Latin name: Salix babylonica

Common name: Weeping willow (E); Treurwilger (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – medium to large size, deciduous tree, short trunk with low branches. Crown – vary from large to spreading, dome-shaped and rounded, long and slender drooping branches often sweep the ground. Leaves – In spring, the leaves are slightly silky; in summer, they are hairless. The leaves are alternating, simple, drooping, narrowly lanceolate, up to 160 x 15 mm, bright green above, and paler green below. Flowers – Only female plants in southern Africa have flowers, which are 20 mm long, greenish, drooping, axillary spikes (spring). Fruit – Plants multiply vegetatively by the spreading of disconnected branches that take root readily. Fruit is a greenish capsule that is infertile.

 

Habitat: Native to Asia, invades streams and rivers.

 

Uses: As animal feed, leaves are valuable. One of the sources of salicylic acid is willow bark, from which an anti-inflammatory drug for animals is derived chemically. The wood is light and soft, with a faint yellowish-brown hue; it has minimal value. The weeping willow is still attractive in gardens and parks, but when branches knocked down by floodwater take root and thrive, it often encroaches on riverbanks on farms. It has been declared an invader.

 

Similar species: None.

 

Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra

Different aspects of the Sclerocarya birrea caffra tree species.
(Sources: Derek de la Harpe; Wynand Uys; I.C. Riddell; Willem Frost)

 

 

Latin name: Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra

Common name: Marula (E); Maroela (A); Omungongo (Nam).

 

Main Features Size and type – medium to large, deciduous tree. Crown – rounded, spreading or dome-shaped crown. Leaves – the leaves are alternate; they typically have 3–7 pairs of leaflets plus one terminal one; they are dark green above and much paler and blue-green below; the margins are smooth but serrated in young growth and coppice shoots, and the petioles are frequently pink in colour. Flowers – male and female flowers appear on various trees in unbranched sprays before the new leaves. (spring) Fruit – plump, almost spherical, and turns yellow once it hits the ground. The stone is extremely hard and has two or three lids.

 

Habitat: Woodland and bushveld.

 

Uses: The delectable fruit is consumed fresh, and the tasty nuts are removed from the tough stone. Jelly, syrup, vinegar, preserves, and confections are all made from processed fruits. The primary conventional usage of marula fruits is the creation of a wholesome beer. Today, it is also utilised to flavour liqueurs. Traditional remedies for heartburn, diarrhoea, diabetes, fever, and malaria include roots, bark, and leaves. The wood has been used to make ornaments, stamping blocks, drums, and household goods. The majority of wood roses found in curio markets are malformations brought on by mistletoe that grows on branches; they are harvested from marula trees. The bark produces a light brown dye.

 

Similar species: Comparable to Lannea schweinfurthii var. stuhlmannii on the surface. Its imparipinnate leaves have 1 – 3 pairs of leaflets plus a terminal one, which is always the largest. When ripe, the terminal leaflet is hairless, fresh, and pale green, and its points sharply but broadly taper. In the fall, the leaflets turn yellow.

 

Searsia lancea

 Different aspects of the Searsia lancea tree species.
(Sources: Malcolm Douglas; Unknown)

 

 

Latin name: Searsia lancea

Common name: Karee (Nam, SA); Willow crowberry (Zim); Karee (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – small to medium size, evergreen tree species. Short or multi-stemmed trunk. Crown – rounded, spreading or dome-shaped crown. Dark green foliage and drooping branches. Bark – dark brown to blackish bark with a rough texture. Latex – has a latex, with a weak and inconsistent flow, watery-like. Leaves – the leaflets are sessile, semi-leathery, hairless, and covered in a shiny exudate (especially when young). The petiole can be up to 30 mm long. The leaves are alternating and trifoliolate. The terminal leaflet is linear to lanceolate, 25 – 120 x 5 – 12 mm, with an entire border and a slightly tapering apex. Flowers – male and female flowers are found on separate plants as panicles of small, greenish-yellow flowers. Fruit – drupe-shaped fruit that is hairless, dull yellow to brown, shiny, and somewhat compressed.

 

Habitat: A variety of habitats, commonly found on calcareous substrates.

 

Uses: The little, edible fruits have a sweet-sour flavour. Before the core components are consumed, the thin, dry skins are removed. Fruits are either used as an ingredient in mead or honey beer (locally known as “karie”, hence the common name karee for many members of the genus Searsia), or they are crushed in water and fermented to make beer. Additionally, the fruit can be utilised to prepare a unique milk-curdled dish. Sometimes used for poles and tool handles, the reddish-brown wood is strong and long-lasting. Bark has been used to tan leather in the past.

 

Similar species: Leaflets of R. leptodictya have serrated borders, and the drupes are quite flattened.

 

Ziziphus mucronata

Different aspects of the Zizipjus mucronata tree species.
(Sources: Judy Flatt; Graham G.; Fayne Connelly; Ben-Jon Dreyer)

 

 

Latin name: Ziziphus mucronata

Common name: Buffalo-thorn (E); Blinkblaar-wag-’n-bietjie (A).

 

Main Features Size and type – shrub (which is armed or unarmed) or small to medium-sized tree. Deciduous, single, or multi-stemmed trunk. Crown – untidy, roundish crown, branches commonly kept close to the ground. Stipules – sometimes spinescent and occur in pairs at the nodes, one will be straight and the other hooked. Leaves – the leaves are simple, alternating, prominently 3-veined from the base, glossy dark green above, sparsely to coarsely hairy or with brownish hairs on the lower surface, at least when young, with the terminal venation presenting a grid-like pattern when viewed against the light. Flowers – form axillary clusters, tiny, yellowish green in colour (summer). Fruit – a subglobose, glossy reddish to yellowish brown drupe with a dry, mealy texture.

 

Habitat: Diverse habitat selection from semi-desert to forest.

 

Uses: The fruits can be used as a coffee substitute and are occasionally stamped and combined with oatmeal. They are edible but can be highly unpleasant in certain forms. Ripe fruits can be fermented to form beer, which can then be distilled to create a potent alcoholic beverage. Livestock and game browse the leaves. Leaf infusions are used to treat children’s diarrhoea, malaria, fever, and eye conditions. To speed healing and ease pain, chewed leaves are placed on boils and ulcers. Infusions of bark and roots have also been used for coughs and chest issues, as well as for diarrhoea and dysentery. The wood has fine grains and is weighty, robust, and dense.

 

Similar species: The lower surface of Z. abyssinica’s leaves is heavily covered in rusty, grey, or yellowish hairs. It is an armed shrub or small tree.