Namibia: Our trees of national importance

TREES provide wood and non-timber forest products to hundreds of thousands of people in Namibia and they also support the lives of browsing animals, birds and countless species of insects.

There are many tree species in Namibia but there are 20 major ones whose importance Namibians should know about. In this article, we bring you information on eight of them.The eight are the makalani palm tree, scientifically known as Hyphaene petersiana, leadwood (combretum imberbe), kiaat (Pterocarpus), burkea (Burkea africana), baobab (Adansonia digitata), marula (Sclerocarya birrea), mopane (Colophospermum mopane) and the Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis).The makalani palm tree (known as omulunga in Oshiwambo) is common along many ephemeral rivers in north-western Namibia and is a prominent feature of the oshana landscape of channels in the Omusati, Oshana and western Oshikoto regions.They grow here as tall single trees or in copses on clay soil.In Kavango and Caprivi, however, most of the trees are much smaller and bushier than those near the Cuvelai Drainage.Their leaves provide fibre to weave mats, hats and baskets, while leaf stalks are often used for fencing.The nuts are very hard but can be processed and eaten.An Oshiwambo traditional alcoholic drink called ombike is made from makalani palm fruits.Often called vegetable ivory, the nuts are often carved into small ornaments and trinkets to adorn key rings, necklaces or charms.Makalani palm trees are protected in Namibia and belong to the Arecacea or palm family.Leadwoods are highly respected for their spiritual and cultural value.The tree generally grows to a height of between 7 and 15 metres, but very tall ones can reach 20 metres.The leadwood belongs to the family Combetrum and it is protected in Namibia.Although they are widely spread across northern Namibia, leadwoods are generally limited to alluvial clay soils on the edges of rivers, dry watercourses, inter-dune valleys and isolated pans.Leadwood ash has been used as a toothpaste or when mixed with milk as a whitewash paint.In Oshiwambo, the leadwood is called omukuku.The kiaat tree grows in warm, frost-free areas in Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, northern Zimbabwe, Mozambique and into Tanzania.Namibian kiaats are strictly limited to sandy soils in areas where rainfall exceeds 400 millimetres a year.Mature trees normally reach a height of 10 to 12 metres and have characteristic flat-topped crowns, giving the trees an umbrella shape.Known as omukwa in Oshiwambo, new flowers and leaves usually appear in September and October before the onset of the first rains.Kiaat trees are the mainstay of the woodcraft industry and the whole tree trunk can be used to produce mukoro dugout boats.As a traditional medicine, the sap is used to treat coughs and stomach and eye problems, while it is also processed into a paste for skin care.The kiaat belongs to the Fabaceae family.In Namibia, the burkea tree (in Oshiwambo known as omushehe) was particularly abundant in Kavango and eastern Ohangwena and it is a deciduous tree, growing up to 12 metres tall and resembling a syringa.Its wood is often used for building huts and for pestles and mortars.Most large trees are at least 100 years old.Their leaf litter adds significant amounts of nitrogen to the soil.Of all trees in Africa, the baobab (omukwa in Oshiwambo) must be the best known.It is one of the largest trees in the world and is often associated with legends and superstitions.There are nine species of baobabs: one in Africa, seven in Madagascar and one in Australia.Namibia’s baobab populations are clumped in five areas in the north of the country.Baobabs provide food to people and a wide range of animals, while they are also considered a good source of water during the driest conditions.Their leaves are rich in vitamin C and sugars and are often cooked as spinach.Young roots are cooked as well and many animals eat the leaves and flowers.The fruit pulp also contains vitamin C and is used to prepare a drink.The marula tree is a medium-sized deciduous tree, usually growing to a height of 10 to 20 metres.They are widely, but patchily distributed in northern Namibia.The species is most abundant in the Cuvelai Drainage where the trees have been nurtured, protected and perhaps propagated by small-scale farmers over several hundred years.Marula fruits are collected at the end of the rainy season and processed into a variety of products.The pulp is rich in vitamin C and it is eaten.It is also used in producing juices, jelly or alcoholic beverages, such as marula wine, known as oshinwa.Kernels extracted from hard shells are either eaten unprocessed or boiled to extract their oil, which can be used for cosmetic purposes.The mopane tree provides many resources to rural communities lucky to live near populations of this species in and around Omusati, Oshana and Eastern Caprivi.Livestock browse the trees and shrubs, stems and longer branches provide branches for construction and fencing.Rope and twine can be made from the bark, which is also used for tanning leather.Many of the uses derive from the fact that mopane wood is extremely hard and resistant to decay.Mopane is a protected species.In Oshiwambo the mopane tree is known as omusati.The Welwitschia is perhaps Namibia’s most famous tree, attracting tourists and scientists because of its rarity, peculiar growth from and survival in a harsh environment.It is the only tree in the in the family of Welwitchiaceae.In addition to being a protected species, the Welwitschia enjoys international protection from the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), that prohibits the plant from being traded.Welwitschias are endemic to the Namib Desert, almost their entire range being confined to a narrow zone stretching from the Kuiseb River about 1 000 km north into southern Angola.It is a stunning tree and some very large Welwitschias are reputed to be between 2 000 and 3 000 years old, but these ages have not been confirmed.Namibia’s other trees of national importance are: Zambezi teak, Ushivi, silver-leaf Terminalia, Shepherd’s Tree, Quiver Tree, Purple Pod Terminalia Tree, Mangetti Tree, Corky Monkey-Orange, Camel Thorn, Black Thorn, Bird Plum and Ana Tree.* This information is contained in a book titled ‘Forests and Woodlands of Namibia’ by Dr John Mendelsohn and Selma el Obeid.In this article, we bring you information on eight of them.The eight are the makalani palm tree, scientifically known as Hyphaene petersiana, leadwood (combretum imberbe), kiaat (Pterocarpus), burkea (Burkea africana), baobab (Adansonia digitata), marula (Sclerocarya birrea), mopane (Colophospermum mopane) and the Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis).The makalani palm tree (known as omulunga in Oshiwambo) is common along many ephemeral rivers in north-western Namibia and is a prominent feature of the oshana landscape of channels in the Omusati, Oshana and western Oshikoto regions.They grow here as tall single trees or in copses on clay soil.In Kavango and Caprivi, however, most of the trees are much smaller and bushier than those near the Cuvelai Drainage.Their leaves provide fibre to weave mats, hats and baskets, while leaf stalks are often used for fencing.The nuts are very hard but can be processed and eaten.An Oshiwambo traditional alcoholic drink called ombike is made from makalani palm fruits.Often called vegetable ivory, the nuts are often carved into small ornaments and trinkets to adorn key rings, necklaces or charms.Makalani palm trees are protected in Namibia and belong to the Arecacea or palm family.Leadwoods are highly respected for their spiritual and cultural value.The tree generally grows to a height of between 7 and 15 metres, but very tall ones can reach 20 metres.The leadwood belongs to the family Combetrum and it is protected in Namibia.Although they are widely spread across northern Namibia, leadwoods are generally limited to alluvial clay soils on the edges of rivers, dry watercourses, inter-dune valleys and isolated pans.Leadwood ash has been used as a toothpaste or when mixed with milk as a whitewash paint.In Oshiwambo, the leadwood is called omukuku.The kiaat tree grows in warm, frost-free areas in Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, northern Zimbabwe, Mozambique and into Tanzania.Namibian kiaats are strictly limited to sandy soils in areas where rainfall exceeds 400 millimetres a year.Mature trees normally reach a height of 10 to 12 metres and have characteristic flat-topped crowns, giving the trees an umbrella shape.Known as omukwa in Oshiwambo, new flowers and leaves usually appear in September and October before the onset of the first rains.Kiaat trees are the mainstay of the woodcraft industry and the whole tree trunk can be used to produce mukoro dugout boats.As a traditional medicine, the sap is used to treat coughs and stomach and eye problems, while it is also processed into a paste for skin care.The kiaat belongs to the Fabaceae family.In Namibia, the burkea tree (in Oshiwambo known as omushehe) was particularly abundant in Kavango and eastern Ohangwena and it is a deciduous tree, growing up to 12 metres tall and resembling a syringa.Its wood is often used for building huts and for pestles and mortars.Most large trees are at least 100 years old.Their leaf litter adds significant amounts of nitrogen to the soil.Of all trees in Africa, the baobab (omukwa in Oshiwambo) must be the best known.It is one of the largest trees in the world and is often associated with legends and superstitions.There are nine species of baobabs: one in Africa, seven in Madagascar and one in Australia.Namibia’s baobab populations are clumped in five areas in the north of the country.Baobabs provide food to people and a wide range of animals, while they are also considered a good source of water during the driest conditions.Their leaves are rich in vitamin C and sugars and are often cooked as spinach.Young roots are cooked as well and many animals eat the leaves and flowers.The fruit pulp also contains vitamin C and is used to prepare a drink.The marula tree is a medium-sized deciduous tree, usually growing to a height of 10 to 20 metres.They are widely, but patchily distributed in northern Namibia.The species is most abundant in the Cuvelai Drainage where the trees have been nurtured, protected and perhaps propagated by small-scale farmers over several hundred years.Marula fruits are collected at the end of the rainy season and processed into a variety of products. The pulp is rich in vitamin C and it is eaten.It is also used in producing juices, jelly or alcoholic beverages, such as marula wine, known as oshinwa.Kernels extracted from hard shells are either eaten unprocessed or boiled to extract their oil, which can be used for cosmetic purposes.The mopane tree provides many resources to rural communities lucky to live near populations of this species in and around Omusati, Oshana and Eastern Caprivi.Livestock browse the trees and shrubs, stems and longer branches provide branches for construction and fencing.Rope and twine can be made from the bark, which is also used for tanning leather.Many of the uses derive from the fact that mopane wood is extremely hard and resistant to decay.Mopane is a protected species.In Oshiwambo the mopane tree is known as omusati.The Welwitschia is perhaps Namibia’s most famous tree, attracting tourists and scientists because of its rarity, peculiar growth from and survival in a harsh environment.It is the only tree in the in the family of Welwitchiaceae.In addition to being a protected species, the Welwitschia enjoys international protection from the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), that prohibits the plant from being traded.Welwitschias are endemic to the Namib Desert, almost their entire range being confined to a narrow zone stretching from the Kuiseb River about 1 000 km north into southern Angola. It is a stunning tree and some very large Welwitschias are reputed to be between 2 000 and 3 000 years old, but these ages have not been confirmed.Namibia’s other trees of national importance are: Zambezi teak, Ushivi, silver-leaf Terminalia, Shepherd’s Tree, Quiver Tree, Purple Pod Terminalia Tree, Mangetti Tree, Corky Monkey-Orange, Camel Thorn, Black Thorn, Bird Plum and Ana Tree.* This information is contained in a book titled ‘Forests and Woodlands of Namibia’ by Dr John Mendelsohn and Selma el Obeid.