Tinderwood

Tinderwood (Clerodendrum glabrum) is also called Cat's Whiskers. In the correct climate it can grow into a tree up to 8m high. Their leafy dark-green foliage is thick and rounded with large numbers of white/pink flowers that attract large numbers of insects and birds. They inhabit open woodland along the Kunene River.

Species of Bulbul eat the small whitish 'berries' and the larvae of the Purple-brown Hairstreak butterfly feed on the leaves. Traditional uses include lighting fires, building huts and fish kraals with the wood. Medicinal uses include to rid calves of intestinal worms, repelling beetles and preventing animal wound infection by parasites. An antidote to snakebites by means of a root infusion is another traditional treatment.

Flowers bloom from September to June and this plant is semi-frost hardy, requires a moderate amount of water and lots of sunshine.