EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT TREES:

2010 AND 2011:
TREES:

Small-leaved Sickle Bush

Small-leaved Sickle Bush (Sickle Bush) Kleinblaar-sekelbos (sekelbos) Dichrostachys cinerea subsp. africana Description - A spiny deciduous shrub, up to 3.5 m high. The branches are spreading with acacia-like leaves. The drooping pendulous flowers, characteristic pink and yellow catkins, appear in spring and summer followed by sickle-shaped pods borne in clusters. The wood is hard, strong and termite and borer proof. Distribution - Widespread in tropical Africa, from Cape Verde, the Gambia and the Sudan south to Natal and Angola. Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones to the rain forest, extending to East Africa and the South Arabian Peninsula. Also in Iran, tropical Asia and Australia. Introduced in Florida, the United States, and in Cuba. In South Africa this bush occurs in the Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga bushveld as well as Natal. Temperature, soil - It needs a warm frost-free climate, medium rainfall, friable soil and tends to spread rapidly in the wild. It can withstand long periods of drought. It is fire-tolerant. Propagation is very easy from root cuttings, root suckering. Medicinal uses Headaches - A lotion made from the leaves and bark is used to rinse out the mouth and to soak a cloth which is bound around the head to soothe headaches. Eyes - The dried seedpods make soothing eyewash for red, tired eyes. Snakebites, insect stings - Snakebites, scorpion stings and insect stings are treated with the leaf and bark - the leaf is chewed well and then applied and bound over the area. Stomach pains, diarrhoea - The leaf can be chewed to ease colic and heartburn and can be made into a tea to remedy stomach ailments and diarrhoea. Wounds - A lotion made from the leaves and bark is used as a wound cleanser and healer. Dried powdered bark is sprinkled onto the wound to promote healing. Skin - Dried powdered bark is directly applied to skin eruptions, sores, blisters and abscesses for both man and animal. Chest - In Zimbabwe the dried leaf and root is smoked for pulmonary tuberculosis and chest ailments, and to clear the head during a cold. Other - The sickle bush is also used to treat catarrh, elephantiasis, circumcision wounds, bronchitis, pneumonia, epilepsy, internal ulcers, and dysentery and kidney ailments. The Pedi and Lobedu tribes use the pod as an anti-witchcraft charm. This plant is believed to ward off evil if it grows near your house. A decoction of the plant is given to a woman after giving birth to relieve pain. Other uses - The bark is tough and pliable and makes strong ropes and string. The wood is used as fence posts as they are able to withstand veldt fires.

Weeping Wattle

Scientificname:Peltophorum africanum

Family: Leguminosae

Weeping wattle is propagated by seeds only. Seedlings and

Young plants are easy to plant successfully as they are

Resistant to a fair amount of drought and frost. Seedlings

Are fast growing and well suited for the heavy soils found

In many parts of Northern Namibia.

Seed collection period

December to May.

Storage

The seeds should not be stored more than a year.

Seed treatment: Fresh seeds must be placed in hot water and left overnight

And sown next morning.

Produced by Forest Awareness and Tree Planting Project

P.O. Box 3189, Oshakati. Tel: 065 230057. Fax: 065 231475.

Description:Weeping wattle is an important

Component of the vegetation in the

Thorn tree savanna, mopane savannah,

And the dry woodlands. It is growing

Not only in Namibia but also in

Botswana, Zimbabwe, Republic of

South Africa and Mozambique.

Weeping wattle is a semi- deciduous

Tree up to 15 m tall with a dense rounded crown. The

Bark is smooth and grey on the young branches whereas

Young twigs are covered in reddish brown hairs. The leaves

Are twice-compound, with 4 -9 pairs of pinnae each bearing

10 -23 pairs of grey-green leaflets; the growth tip, leaf stalk

And rachis covered in dense reddish brown hairs. The flowers

Are beautiful, bright yellow, in dense sprays up to 15 cm

Long. Flowers develop from September to February. The fruit

Is a flat pod, narrowing towards the ends. It is up to 10 x 2

cm, hanging in dense clusters. Weeping

Wattle is very hardy and does not

Take much management. It needs

Limited watering only the first

Year and competes well even

With Dodonaea. Planted in the

School yard or in the garden it

Is one of the best trees because?

Of its good shadow, beautiful

Flowers and its hardiness.

Uses: Weeping wattle is an excellent fire wood. The timber

Is of good quality and used for furniture and

Implement handles such as hand hoes. The

Leaves can be browsed by animals. In the

Northern part of Namibia weeping wattle

Is often used as Christmas tree.

The bright yellow flowers make the tree

Good for bee- keepers as it is a good source

Of nectar and pollen. The medical uses of weeping wattle are

Widespread. Powdered root is applied to

Wounds to fasten healing and an infusion

Also made from the root is taken orally to

Relieve stomach disorders and to get rid of

Intestinal parasites. Powdered stem and root

Bark is taken for diarrhoea and dysentery.

The root is also chewed to cure sores in

The throat and the bark are chewed to relieve colic. Leaves are

Boiled and the steam is then directed into the mouth to relieve

Toothache. Some beliefs are also attached to this tree. It is alleged that

Wambo women plant a branch of the African wattle at the

Onset of the maize planting season to ensure sufficient rain.

Some Himba’s and Herero’s regard the birth of twins as unnatural

And consider it a bad omen. A bark extract is sprinkled

On the mother, infants and other people involved in safeguard,

Whilst a piece of bark is tied around the waist of the

Mother. This should help fighting the evil.