The most characteristic plant in the park is the giant aloe, known locally as the quiver tree or kokerboom. It is perfectly adapted to the dry semi-desert rocky areas found in the Nama-Karoo, able to withstand the extreme temperatures and the infertile soil. This tree, which grows up to five metres high, gets its name from the fact that the Bushmen (San) used the soft branches to make quivers for their arrows. The eye-catching silhouette of the quiver tree is typical of the Northern Cape landscape. When the tree flowers in the winter flocks of birds are attracted to their copious nectar, and baboons can be seen tearing the flowers apart to get the sweet liquor.
Evidently a rare and endangered tree.
quite a special one…
This is amazing, I haven’t seen before. Thanks and Love, nia
It is a massive aloe, something worth seeing…
exactly!
Wow – I never imagined aloe in tree form – what and amazing plant – amazing how adaptive nature is.
How right you are… it is just these nuances of nature I love to see..
Una pianta bellissima che sopravvive in condizioni molto difficile. Bellissime le foto
Ciao, Pat
Thanks Pat.. it is beautiful I agree..
No wonder it’s called ‘giant’. I’ve had aloe’s in my garden and I’d love one that was this big!
It certainly reaches a size and that in the desert… one wonders if you had it in your garden… would we kill it with kindness.??
So strange! yours is the 2nd blog today where I ran across the kokerboom which I’d NEVER seen (or heard about) before!
What a fantastic tree!
ps: the other blog mentioning the giant aloe was gardeninggonewild.com (a blog I’ve followed for awhile)
Wow that is incredible I must pop over and go and take a look… thanks for the link…
Very interesting site you directed me to… thank you…
very robust and beautiful!
Thank you…
That looks like one inhospitable tree. I’d hate to parachute jump and land on that sucker. Of course I’d hate to parachute jump…
I’m with you on that one Lorna… although it could be fun to watch someone else land in it… but then that just might be my sick sense of humour…
And I’m with YOU there, Bulldog!
Wow, big tree!! Great shots!!!
Thank you…
My aloe plant now has aloe envy! Wow!
Sounds similar to my camera in a bird hide… “the mine is bigger than yours syndrome…”
Wow, beautiful photos, and what a fantastic plant! So strong and solitary
Rohan.
Thank you.. it is a magnificent example of what nature can do in the middle of nowhere…
What an odd looking tree to me! It may be common to you but I’ve never seen anything like it.
Oh in no way is it a common tree here… it is only found in the very arid areas.. where somehow it manages to survive… it has my respect and admiration considering what it lives on… and then when it flowers its flowers are fed on for food for others to survive… no wonder there aren’t too many…
Oh…thank you for clarifying…it is an amazing tree, but still odd looking hahaha.
We have one but it’s really short!
This is a biggy… how it survives … wow..
I have – er – had small alie in my courtyard. Not sure why it died. I am reminded though to get another. Giant alie are such alien looked plants.
Aren’t they… there were so many examples of this particular aloe all over the area… amazing they survive in such a barren area…
Aloe is such a great healing plant ~ for so many things. I have small aloe plants here at home -but this is the coolest thing to see your tree! Very exotic looking!
~ looks like you had such a nice adventure bd!! ~ x R
Thanks Robyn.. coming soon the high light of the whole trip.. the game reserve at Kgalagadi… and the lion and antelope, birds and things… but this was just one very special holiday that my Son planned for us…
The Aloe is a magical tree for ones health… I use it to cure my skin cancer that pops up on my face and arms from stupidity of years ago… and it does work most the time and saves me having to have it burnt off,,, at a time I drank it as well to cure a stomach ailment… magical plant.. but the one I use is the Aloe vera..
Unique looking plant. I was going to ask if it was related to the aloe because of the leaves, and then I read the post again. Giant aloe, of course. Amazing how they survive in such harsh conditions.
And in the smallest amount of soil… found some that looked as though they had nothing to stand in except rock…
Very tough. Survival of the fittest, on display.