Madikwe Tree Checklist

Indigenous trees of the mixed bushveld, arid sweet bushveld, Kalahari sandveld and turf thornveld that meet inside Madikwe.

64 entries · tick boxes are included, so you can print it and take it on a drive.

Filter this list 64 entries

	Common name	Scientific name	Notes
Thorn trees (Vachellia & Senegalia)
	Black Thorn	Senegalia mellifera	Swartbas. Forms dense impenetrable thickets and is a prime bush-encroachment species.
	Blue Thorn	Senegalia erubescens
	Camel Thorn	Vachellia erioloba	Protected. The great Kalahari shade tree; ear-shaped pods are eaten by everything from elephant to gemsbok. Where: the sandy west.
	Candle Thorn	Vachellia hebeclada	Low and spreading, with upright pods.
	Common Hook-thorn	Senegalia caffra
	Knob Thorn	Senegalia nigrescens	Knobbed trunk; the creamy flower spikes in early spring are a giraffe favourite.
	Red Thorn	Vachellia gerrardii
	Scented Thorn	Vachellia nilotica	Necklace-shaped pods.
	Splendid Thorn	Vachellia robusta
	Sweet Thorn	Vachellia karroo	Long paired white thorns and sweetly scented yellow pompom flowers.
	Umbrella Thorn	Vachellia tortilis	The classic flat-topped silhouette of an African sunset.
Combretums & cluster-leafs
	Large-fruited Bushwillow	Combretum zeyheri	Pods the size of a hand.
	Leadwood	Combretum imberbe	Protected. Wood so dense it will not float; dead trees stand for centuries.
	Purple-pod Cluster-leaf	Terminalia prunioides
	Red Bushwillow	Combretum apiculatum	One of the most abundant trees in the reserve; four-winged pods turn red in autumn.
	River Bushwillow	Combretum erythrophyllum	Where: the Marico River banks.
	Russet Bushwillow	Combretum hereroense
	Silver Cluster-leaf	Terminalia sericea	Silvery leaves; an indicator of deep sandy soil.
	Velvet Bushwillow	Combretum molle
Bushveld hardwoods
	Apple-leaf	Philenoptera violacea	The rain tree, dripping from spittlebugs in summer.
	Bushveld Gardenia	Gardenia volkensii	Hard grey fruit, often marked by browsing.
	Common Cabbage Tree	Cussonia paniculata	Where: rocky slopes and koppies.
	Horn-pod Tree	Diplorhynchus condylocarpon
	Jacket Plum	Pappea capensis	Bright orange fleshy fruit.
	Lavender Fever-berry	Croton gratissimus	Silver leaves with rusty dots underneath; crushed leaves smell of lavender.
	Marula	Sclerocarya birrea	Protected. The fruit feeds elephant, baboon and people, and makes the well-known liqueur.
	Mopane	Colophospermum mopane	Butterfly-shaped leaves. Where: the far north, at the southern edge of its range.
	Peeling Plane	Ochna pulchra	Bark peels to leave a pale, smooth trunk.
	Round-leaved Bloodwood	Pterocarpus rotundifolius
	Sickle Bush	Dichrostachys cinerea	Sekelbos. Pink and yellow Chinese-lantern flowers; a serious encroacher.
	Tamboti	Spirostachys africana	Milky latex is toxic and the smoke will taint food; beautiful scented timber.
	Transvaal Milkplum	Englerophytum magalismontanum	The stamvrug; fruit borne on the trunk.
	Tree Wisteria	Bolusanthus speciosus	Protected. Hanging purple flower sprays in spring.
	Weeping Boer-bean	Schotia brachypetala	Deep red flowers full of nectar; sunbirds and monkeys both feed on it.
	Weeping Wattle	Peltophorum africanum	The African wattle; spittlebug nymphs make it drip in early summer.
	Wild Pear	Dombeya rotundifolia	Covered in white blossom before the leaves, at the end of winter.
	Wild Seringa	Burkea africana	Velvety rust-coloured new growth.
Kalahari & arid-zone trees
	Blue Sourplum	Ximenia americana
	Common Corkwood	Commiphora pyracanthoides
	Large Sourplum	Ximenia caffra	Tart red fruit.
	Paperbark Corkwood	Commiphora marlothii	Papery yellow bark that peels in sheets.
	Shepherd's Tree	Boscia albitrunca	Protected. Chalk-white trunk, deep-rooted, and one of the most valuable browse trees in the dry west.
	Trumpet Thorn	Catophractes alexandri	Grey trumpet flowers; a defining plant of the arid sweet bushveld.
	Velvet Corkwood	Commiphora mollis
	Wild Green-hair Tree	Parkinsonia africana
Riverine & rock figs
	Common Wild Fig	Ficus thonningii
	Karee	Searsia lancea
	Large-leaved Rock Fig	Ficus glumosa
	Mountain Karee	Searsia leptodictya
	Rock Fig	Ficus abutilifolia	Pale roots poured over bare rock.
	Sycamore Fig	Ficus sycomorus	Protected. Where: the Marico River. A fruiting tree draws birds, monkeys and bats for weeks.
	White Stinkwood	Celtis africana
	Wild Date Palm	Phoenix reclinata	Where: seeps and river edges.
Other common trees
	Blue Guarri	Euclea crispa
	Buffalo Thorn	Ziziphus mucronata	One thorn straight, one hooked, said to represent the past and the future. Deeply significant in Setswana tradition.
	Common Wild Currant	Searsia pyroides
	False Marula	Lannea discolor
	Magic Guarri	Euclea divinorum	Twigs are used as toothbrushes.
	Wild Olive	Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata	Protected. Dense, dark, and very long-lived.
Aloes & succulents
	Common Tree Euphorbia	Euphorbia ingens	Protected. Latex is highly caustic; keep it off skin and out of eyes.
	Mountain Aloe	Aloe marlothii	Protected. Tall, single-stemmed, with horizontal orange racemes in winter that draw sunbirds by the dozen.
	Rubber Euphorbia	Euphorbia tirucalli
	Spotted Aloe	Aloe greatheadii var. davyana	Flowers in mid-winter.
	Zebra Aloe	Aloe zebrina	Where: sandy and rocky ground; white-flecked leaves.