Knob thorn / Knoppiesdoring
Knob thorn / Knoppiesdoring
The knob thorn is an attractive garden tree which grows into a lovely shade tree. It has a long cylindrical shape and rounded crown. It has knobs on the trunks and on branches with persistent thorns arising on the knobs.
Botanical Name:
Senegalia nigrescens
Did you know?
The knob thorn is termite-resistant and the flowers are a dietary component for giraffes.
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Snuffbox tree / Snuifkalbassie
Snuffbox tree / SnuifkalbassieThis spiny shrub or small tree with pretty white flowers is known for the snuff boxes that can be made from its hard-shelled fruit. An ideal barrier plant.
Botanical Name:
Oncoba spinosa
Did you know?
Flowers somewhat resemble a fried egg and in Zimbabwe it is called the fried-egg flower.
Marula / Maroela
Marula / MaroelaThe edible fruits and the multiple uses associated with almost all parts of the marula, make it one of southern Africa’s most valued trees.
Botanical Name:
Sclerocaraya birrea
Did you know?
The Marula is a firm favourite for elephants, who delight in the fruit and the nutritious bark. Luckliy an elephant would have to eat hundreds and hundreds of fermented marula fruits in order to ingest the same equivalent of alcohol as a few beers for a grown man.
Buffalo thorn / Blikblaar wag-n-bietjie
Buffalo thorn / Blikblaar wag-n-bietjie
Buffalo thorn / Blikblaar wag-n-bietjie
Buffalo thorn / Blikblaar wag-n-bietjieit makes a pleasant shade tree and gives life to the garden by luring birds and insects such as butterflies, beetles and bees. In Botswana as well as most parts of South Africa, the residents believed the buffalo thorn to be immune against lightning, anyone standing under one in a storm would be safe. It is also believed that if it is felled in summer, a drought, hail or lightning will certainly follow.
Botanical Name:
Ziziphus mucronata
Did you know?
Ziziphus mucronata, or as it is more frequently known, the wag-‘n-bietjie tree is said to represent life as we know it. The young twigs are zigzag, indicating that life is not always straightforward. Two thorns at the nodes are also significant; one facing backward represents where we come from and one facing forward, represents where we are going.
White seringa / Wit sering
White seringa / Wit seringThis is a straight-stemmed tree with a fine, round , leafy crown. It is a good choice for those gardeners who prefer something different. It grows in the bushveld and lowveld of Gauteng in deep, sandy soil or on rocky hills. White seringa can tolerate drought, but it is sensitive to frost, making it a better choice for warmer gardens. It has beautiful autumn foliage.
Botanical Name:
Kirkii accuminata
Did you know?
In Gauteng, white seringa is planted around enclosures for livestock (kraals).
