I have been away for a while, going through a rather life changing experience called the Way of the Warrior,  you might have seen it on Action Channel (DSTV 106) or if you follow my vibe on Twitter @rambowine you would have seen little bits of the transformation I have been going through.  More on that another time.   With the upcoming final and my mind in a thousand places right now, I thought the easiest way for me to find a centre again before the final throes of this experience would be to put in a cameo Fynbos Friday.   Raoul our editor in chief has done an amazing job with the Fynbos Fridays in my absence, and his budding botanical knowledge has impressed me beyond belief.  (Also a big congrat’s for his monumental achievements with the Iron Man.  Massive respect to the Urban Ninja!)

We buy our trees from the best tree nursery around, Just Trees, who grow a wide range of some of the strongest and best looking trees around.   Pop in and have a look see, their range is incredible and truly some of the most magnificent nursery management I have ever seen.  Carl Pretorius and Bruce Stewart and their team run a fantastic operation, and we are proud to have been able to plant with huge success a wide range of their trees on the farm.   One cannot emphasize enough the importance of trees in the Fynbos Biome, for that matter any ecosystem.   Carl and his Red Espresso team have also been keeping me healthy in warrior camp with delicious rooibos, and with Mr Chongs dinners nothing beats his wife Jaq’s chilli. Look out for the red one, it’s the business.

Back to the main event here, the Soetdoring, when I was working up at Bushmanskloof, there was a fantastic stand of these trees just below Main Dam, there were many discussions around a braai with the obligatory Clanwilliam slaghuis Skilpaadjie, paired with one of many of Flatties dangerous Blue Gins about how animals often will start browsing the one tree, and then before the others are ‘attacked’ they take on subtle defense mechanisms, almost as if the trees are talking to each other.  Amazing stuff.  Once they have been nibbled the trees build a defense mechanism against it. Some things like Rhino and Giraffe are able to just chew through those massive thorns. But for the tree predators we saw in the Cederberg like Springbok, Red Hartebees, Eland and the Cape Mountain Zebra, the trees needed to have a little extra in their arsenal to avoid being munched into extinction.   Tannin levels rise as well, when the massive Bushmanskloof herd of 40 eland or so pull in for the meal, the trees push up their tannins immediately to make them not so sweet and palatable.

The Acacia Karroo is also critical for the success of our bee hives, Soetdoring Honey always has an incredible flavor and the trees flowers are a brilliant source of pollen for the bees, as they are literally dripping in pollen. So now that I have recovered my somewhat Zen fynbos state, it is time to return to training and see you all at the Way of the Warrior Grand final, Grand West Casinos on Thursday next week, 19:30. 

http://www.plantzafrica.com/frames/plantsfram.htm

This is one of South Africa’s most beautiful and useful trees. It is integrally part of our country’s history having been used for everything from raft-making to sewing needles and fencing for the houses of the royal Zulu women. The thorns were even used by early naturalists to pin the insects they collected! It is very widespread throughout southern Africa and there are different forms in some places, which can be confusing. Acacia karroo may be found from the Western Cape through to Zambia and Angola. In tropical Africa it is replaced by Acacia seyal. The name Acacia is derived from Greek “akis” a point or barb. Karroo is one of the old spellings of karoo which cannot be corrected because of the laws governing botanical nomenclature (giving of names).

It is found in a variety of habitats from low lying areas to highveld, although not usually found in mist belt and montane areas. It is an indicator of sweet veld which is prized for the good grazing and fertile soils. If an area is overgrazed the sweet thorn becomes invasive.

Acacia karroo has a rounded crown, branching fairly low down on the trunk. It is variable in shape and size, reaching a maximum of about 12m where there is good water. The bark is red on young branches, darkening and becoming rough with age. Sometimes an attractive reddish colour can be seen in the deep bark fissures The leaves are finely textured and dark green. The flowers appear in early summer in a mass of yellow pompons. Many insects visit and pollinate these flowers. The seed pods are flat and crescent shaped, sometimes with constrictions between the seeds. They are green when young becoming brown and dry. The pods split open allowing the seeds to fall to the ground. The thorns are paired, greyish to white and are long and straight. On mature trees, the thorns may be quite short. They may be held at 90° to the stem or raked forward slightly. Technically the thorns are called “spines” and are developed from modified stipules (small, leaf-like scales, seen at the base of the leaf-stalk). In some other thorny acacia species, the thorns are not stipular in origin and are called “prickles”. These originate in the epidermis (”skin”) and are always short and curved, a bit like rose thorns. Thorns on African acacias are important for identification, they are divided into 5 main groups according the size, shape and position of the thorns.

The sweet thorn gets its common name from the gum which is exuded from wounds in the bark. This pleasant tasting gum is eaten by people and animals, including the Lesser Bushbaby which feeds exclusively on insects and gum from trees, particularly acacia trees. It also had commercial value in the past when the gum was exported as “Cape Gum” for making confectionary. This is apparently similar to gum arabic which is used as a water soluble glue.

It is a particularly good fodder tree, stock and game feed on the leaves, flowers and pods. Seed dispersal takes place this way. There is no danger of hydrocyanic poisoning which is a self-protection mechanism used by many trees. The bark contains tannin which is used to tan leather to a reddish colour. (This unfortunately gives the leather an unpleasant odour). The heartwood is heavy and hard but susceptible to attack from borer. This apparently may be prevented by seasoning the wood in water for six months before use. The “Dune Forest” form found along the coast of Kwazulu-Natal northwards of the Tugela river has soft wood so would not be suitable for woodworking. A strong rope can be made from the inner bark which is pliable enough for rope-making when it is wet. The flowers produce lots of nectar and pollen for bee-farming and the honey has a pleasant flavour. In arid areas the sweet thorn is an indicator of water, both underground and surface. It was a very welcome sight to early travelers and nomads.

Acacia karroo has a life span of 30-40 years and is an adaptable pioneer, able to establishing itself without shade, shelter or protection from grass fires. Once over a year old, seedlings can resprout after fire. Several fungi are associated with this tree and the crown of mature trees may be parasitized by various mistletoes, leading to the tree’s decline. This tree has a long taproot which enables it to use water and nutrients from deep underground, this and its ability to fix nitrogen, lead to grasses and other plants thriving in its shade.

The sweet thorn has many medicinal uses ranging from wound poultices to eye treatments and cold remedies. The bark, leaves and gum are usually used. It is also used to treat cattle which have tulp poisoning (Homeria spp – bulbous plants which are poisonous to stock).