Meet the trees … Trumpet-thorn or Rattle-pod (Catophractes alexandri)

• Luise HoffmannJUST a few days after the first rains, these lovely white to pale pink trumpet-shaped flowers appear on these shrubs, which continue flowering intermittently throughout the rainy season.

The shrub can always be identified by its open and angular growth and its sharp black thorns. They grow on pairs, each pair set at right angles to the next pair. In addition the silvery grey colour of the leaves is a most visible feature of these plants.

The boat shaped, warty capsules can reach a length of 6 centimetres. They remain on the shrub for a long time and rattle in the wind, hence the English common name rattle-pod.

Names: G. Schwarzdorn-Silberbusch, Gawabusch; H.& Hi. omukarawize; N/D. !abba, !gawab/s; Nd. okalyanzi; Ky. okalyadi, A gabbabos.

The species name alexandri honours the British explorer and author Sir James Edward Alexander (11803 – 1885) who first described this plant after conducting an exploratory expedition into Namaqualand and Damaraland in 1836-1837.

This shrub occurs widely all over Namibia except for the real Namib and the deep sandy regions of the north and the north-east. It thrives particularly well on limestone soils, e.g. near Gemsbokvlakte to the south of the Etosha Pan and it may become invasive on disturbed soils.

The bark on old branches is dark brown and smooth, young branches are covered in silvery woolly down.

The simple leaves have a toothed or scalloped margin, a lead-grey woolly covering above and a pale grey, woolly covering and prominent veins below. They are clustered below the thorns, a characteristic to which the name Catophractes refers.

Before unfolding, the tips of the frilly petals form a distinct cap at the upper end of the flower bud. When ripe the capsules burst open and release a large number of winged seeds.

The Afrikaans and English names refer to the trumpet shape of the flowers, while the German common name mentions the dark thorns and the silvery colour of the leaves.

The Afrikaans names ‘gabbabos’ and ‘skaapbos’ as well as the N/D name “!abba, !gawab/s” indicate that sheep love to browse the leaves of this shrub as do cattle and game. However, kudus and springbuck prefer the flowers. Boring insects like to live inside the branches.

Consequently the dry branches are filled with their dry excrement. This makes them very suitable for making fire by friction. For this purpose a branch of the trumpet-thorn is placed into a hollow in a flat piece of softer wood and twirled vigorously and for a long time between the palms of two hands, two people usually taking turns to do so.

The friction generates heat and after some time the powdered dry wood and the dry insect excrement begin to glow.

The glowing particles are carefully blown into a small heap of dry grass, which quickly catches fire. So appreciate the availability of firelighters and matches.

The roots are chewed to alleviate stomach disorders. A tea or a decoction of the leaves is a good remedy for colds.