The great thing about the bush is that there is always something happening in spite of the weather or season. On a recent visit to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve in the North West Province (its a cool place, a natural system inside an ancient weathered volcano!) we stopped to stretch our legs at one of the picnic sites and to my suprise (and delight!) I spotted a Jacketplum in full fruit. Yes, this is me getting excited about a tree but its a really awesome tree that one seldom finds in fruit and when one does, one has to compete with baboons, monkeys and fruigivorous birds of every description to get a look in - especially this deep into winter! The fruit in the picture was sampled by myself immediately on taking the snapshot...and they were delicious!
Whats cool about this tree? The jacket plum (Pappea capensis) is often called the Indaba Tree. ‘Indaba’ is the Zulu word for 'meeting' and the tree was traditionally used as a meeting place. The boughs of a fully mature tree droop down towards the ground but do not become dense around the trunk. Tribal chiefs would hold meetings under the boughs of the jacket plum as they could be screened from view but could still see out through the branches to keep an eye on their village. The tree does not have a dense canopy generally and the hot air easily rises up from below, sucking in cooler air from the sides and providing a well air-conditioned conference facility.
The tree gets its name from the fruit which has a hard but velvety green skin. When it ripens, the fruit splits open along a clean seam revealing the juicy red flesh which makes the fruit look as if it were wearing a dinner jacket. The yummy fruit can be eaten as is or stewed up into a jelly preserve. Vinegar and an alcoholic beverage are also made from the fruit. Inside is a hard seed. This contains a great deal of viscous oil which may be extracted from the roasted seeds and traditionally this oil was used for curing baldness and ringworm. It has been used more recently by farmers to oil their rifles. The oil is edible but may have a purgative effect if consumed. It is also used for soap making and as a lubricant.
When not in fruit, the Jacketplum is one of the easiest bushveld trees to identify as it has especially distinctive bark - the bark is mostly smooth and looks as though it’s been sponged down with two tones of grey paint but older sections form rougher, blacker blocks that resemble small bricks on a peeling plastered wall. The bark has been used in the past to cure venereal diseases.
Whats cool about this tree? The jacket plum (Pappea capensis) is often called the Indaba Tree. ‘Indaba’ is the Zulu word for 'meeting' and the tree was traditionally used as a meeting place. The boughs of a fully mature tree droop down towards the ground but do not become dense around the trunk. Tribal chiefs would hold meetings under the boughs of the jacket plum as they could be screened from view but could still see out through the branches to keep an eye on their village. The tree does not have a dense canopy generally and the hot air easily rises up from below, sucking in cooler air from the sides and providing a well air-conditioned conference facility.
The tree gets its name from the fruit which has a hard but velvety green skin. When it ripens, the fruit splits open along a clean seam revealing the juicy red flesh which makes the fruit look as if it were wearing a dinner jacket. The yummy fruit can be eaten as is or stewed up into a jelly preserve. Vinegar and an alcoholic beverage are also made from the fruit. Inside is a hard seed. This contains a great deal of viscous oil which may be extracted from the roasted seeds and traditionally this oil was used for curing baldness and ringworm. It has been used more recently by farmers to oil their rifles. The oil is edible but may have a purgative effect if consumed. It is also used for soap making and as a lubricant.
When not in fruit, the Jacketplum is one of the easiest bushveld trees to identify as it has especially distinctive bark - the bark is mostly smooth and looks as though it’s been sponged down with two tones of grey paint but older sections form rougher, blacker blocks that resemble small bricks on a peeling plastered wall. The bark has been used in the past to cure venereal diseases.
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