Snuffbox tree / Snuifkalbassie
Snuffbox tree / Snuifkalbassie
This 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.
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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).
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 stinkwood / Wit stinkhout
White stinkwood / Wit stinkhoutAn ideal garden tree – the white stinkwood usually has a single trunk and broadly upright to rounded crown. When planted on the northern or western side of the house, the shade provided cools the house in summer yet allows the sun through to heat up the house in winter.
Botanical Name:
Celtis africana
Did you know?
When freshy cut, the wood has an unpleasant smell, hence the common names “stinkwood”.
Wild mango / Wilde mango
Wild mango / Wilde mangoThis is a tall tree with a flat-topped, widespreading crown. The yellowish-orange flowers resemble an old fashioned powder puff. Elephants love the fruit!
Botanical Name:
Cordylia africana
Did you know?
Did you know that Africa has its own mango? Although the fruit is not as big and tasty as the exotic one and it belongs to a different family, it is extremely rich in vitamin C.
