Trips

Below is a table listing a few of the trees and flowers that we saw. The links are to the section where there will be pictures of these. Since it was late fall, early winter in southern Africa, there were not very many flowers in bloom. We were mostly in the savannah (grasslands, which were interesting) but we did see some forested areas. Most of he animals we saw like the more open areas - it is safer.

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Acacias

Candle-pod Acacia

Fever Acacia

Paper-back thorn Acacia

Scrambled-egg Winter Acacia

Tooth-pick thorn Acacia

Umbrella Acacia

The acacias are one of the more widespread tree species in southern Africa. There are many species. We were most impressed by the Tooth-pick thorn and Umbrella varieties.

Tooth-pick thorn Acacia

You don't want to back into one of these!

Umbrella Acacia

Candle-pod Acacia

Fever Tree - Acacia

These trees are really beautiful when grouped together as in a forest.

Paper-back thorn Acacia

Scrambled-egg Acacia

Baobab trees are large, odd shaped, and legendary. A section in The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupery's wonderful fairytale for adults, describes the baobab tree. For most of the year, the tree is leafless, and looks very much like it has its roots sticking up in the air. There are numerous legends offering explanations of how the tree came to be stuffed in the ground upside down, so it could no longer complain. There are also numerous superstitions amongst native African people regarding the powers of the tree. Anyone who dares to pick a flower, for instance, will be eaten by a lion. On the other hand, of you drank water in which the seeds have been soaked, you'd be safe from a crocodile attack.

Baobab and the Chobe River at Chobe National Park

Baobab at Kruger NP

Pod - the outside is soft and fuzzy

Open pod

Baobab bark

Baobab tree after being "attacked" by elephants

This Baobab is about 2500 years old

If you look closely you can see our guide Trevor sitting on a branch in about the middle of the photo

The group dwarfed by the Baobab

Another legend: "The baobab was among the first trees to appear on the land. Next came the slender, graceful palm tree. When the baobab saw the palm tree, it cried out that it wanted to be taller. Then the beautiful flame tree appeared with its red flower and the baobab was envious for flower blossoms. When the baobab saw the magnificent fig tree, it prayed for fruit as well. The gods became angry with the tree and pulled it up by its roots, then replanted it upside down to keep it quiet."

Sausage tree

Sausage trees are strange looking things whose fruits (the pod) are believed to be a cure for a wide range of ailments from rheumatism, snakebites, evil spirits, syphilis and the like. An alcholic beverage similar to beer is also made from it.

The native people use the sausage tree to make the mokoro (dugout boats used for river travel) but the boats for the tourist trade are made from fiberglass to preserve the sausage tree from extinction.

Sausage tree pod

Pod interior

The Ilala Palm (right) provides a beautiful contrast to the other trees in and along the savannah.

The Candelabra Tree or Tree Euphorbia (below) is a savannah tree that can grow 30-40 feet high. It has little yellow flowers in the winter.

The candelabra tree is beautiful, but poisonous. If a drop of the white sap from the inner tree comes in contact with the skin a blister will form.

It will blind you if it touches the eyes and even breathing the fumes burns. This sticky poisonous latex along with its sharp spines makes it so animals don't feed on it.

Ilala Palm

Candle Euphorbia

This is a common South African cactus - the candle euphoria. It has a poisonous milk that the locals would put in the river to kill fish. After gutting them to remove the poison in their gut, the fish could be eaten.