Jackalberry

The Jackalberry is a medium to large (10-25m) evergreen tree with a tall, bare, fluted trunk and a dense spreading crown. With a bushveld habitat, the Jackalberry grows in the far north of Namibia, along the Kunene River in the east, as far as the Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip) and the Kwando and Chobe Rivers in the west. The bark is dark brown and grooved and the leaves are shiny dark green, almost oblong in shape with waxy margins. The leaves turn golden-yellow in autumn. The flowers (male and female on separate trees) are small for such a large tree, white and bell-shaped. Fruits are fleshy, round and yellow, up to 25mm in diametre, with a bristle-tip. The fruit pulp is jelly-like and tasty.

The leaves are browsed by game and the fruits eaten by game and birds. Locals use the fruits to brew beer. Butterflies breed on the Jackalberry and the heavy, hard, wood is an all-purpose timber, used in making dugout canoes and selected items of furniture. The leaves and bark are used in traditional medicine.