Quiver Tree Forest Namibia
Exotic PlantsThe Quiver Tree Forest is located almost fourteen km north-east of the town of Keetmanshoop , on the route to the small-scale hamlet of Koës , inward southern Namibia. Here grows , on a soul farm , almost 250 specimens of the quiver tree , or aloe dichotoma , which is a tall , branching species of aloe , indigenous to the Northern Cape part of South Africa , together with parts of Southern Namibia. The odd hold back of aloe dichotoma has made this surface area a pop tourist attraction.
The quiver tree is non actually a tree , rather a constitute of the genus aloe , every bit evident from its scientific advert , together with 1 of the few species of aloe that reaches tree proportions —it tin grow seven to ix meters high. It has a stout stalk that may grow to 1 meter inward diameter , together with is covered alongside beautiful golden dark-brown scales alongside sudden edges. The crown consist of numerous forked branches , which gives the species its advert dichotoma , which agency forked.
Photo credit: Njambi Ndiba/Flickr
At the tip of each branch is a spiral rosette of pointed , thickly-succulent leaves , typical of all aloe plants. Unlike the scaled body , the branches are shine together with are covered alongside a sparse layer of whitish pulverization that helps to reverberate the sun’s rays. Between June together with August , which is wintertime inward the Southern Hemisphere , brilliant yellowish flowers bloom drawing both birds together with human visitors.
The quiver tree is then named because native bushmen used to brand quivers from the branches of the tree. Aloe dichotoma doesn't convey existent wood only a soft pulpy tissue , that tin hold upward hollowed out easily. One cease of the hollow department is unopen off alongside a slice of leather together with used past times the bushmen to check arrows. The natives too used large hollowed out trunks to shop nutrient together with water. The fibrous tissue of the body has a cooling number every bit air passes through , allowing the natives to shop perishables for longer durations.
Apart from their historical purpose past times humans for arrow-quivers , these trees check tremendous ecological value. Many insects , animals together with birds are drawn to the abundant nectar of the flowers. The tree is too an of import nesting site for huge numbers of sociable weavers. The plane cook their nests amid the branches , which offering the nestlings protection from high temperatures , every bit good every bit from predators.
The quiver tree is instantly classified every bit a vulnerable species. Its biggest threat is the globally ascent temperature , together with decreasing rainfall. But the species is fighting dorsum past times tardily shifting its distribution towards the cooler regions inward higher latitudes together with higher altitudes. The tree is protected past times police clit inward South Africa , together with the Quiver Tree Forest is a national monument of Namibia.
Photo credit: Joachim Huber/Flickr
Photo credit: Joachim Huber/Flickr
Photo credit: Bobby Bradley/Flickr
Photo credit: Joachim Huber/Flickr
Photo credit: José Carlos Babo/Flickr
Photo credit: Curtis Simmons/Flickr
Sources: Wikipedia / Arkive / www.plantzafrica.com / h2g2.com
