As we transition into September, we’re enjoying mesmerizing red leaves on many of our game drives at Ghaub. This beautiful sight inspired us to take a closer look at the mysterious Tamboti tree.
Spotlight on the Tamboti Tree
The Tamboti tree is a common sight along the B1 road from Otavi northwards, in the eastern part of the Etosha Pan, and throughout the Kaokoveld. Reaching heights of up to ten meters, the Tamboti is easily recognized by its straight, gray-black trunk with rough bark that breaks into rectangular plates, and its distinctive drooping branches. In spring, the fresh leaves are initially reddish-brown, later turning green, and finally becoming a deep red in autumn.
Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the relatively small, often oval-shaped leaves with finely serrated edges and two small brown glands where the leaf stalk meets the leaf. Breaking off a leaf reveals a white, milky sap, characteristic of the Euphorbiaceae family to which the Tamboti belongs. This sap can cause skin irritation and blisters, and contact with the eyes can lead to severe pain and even blindness. Hence, caution is advised when handling the wood. Historically, Namibian hunter-gatherer tribes used this toxic sap to make poison for arrows and fishing, and it also protects the wood against insects.
Characteristics and Uses
The sapwood of the Tamboti tree is creamy, while the heartwood is shiny dark brown with a beautiful grain. Despite its difficulty to work with, Tamboti wood is highly durable and excellent for polishing, making it a preferred choice for high-quality furniture. Tamboti wood found in the Great Zimbabwe ruins has been dated to between 1250 and 1530 years old. In Namibia, Tamboti wood was widely used for fence posts and mining timbers in Tsumeb, leading to significant deforestation. Today, the Tamboti is a protected species.
Due to its toxicity, Tamboti is unsuitable as firewood, as the smoke causes headaches and nausea, and meat grilled over it tastes unpleasant and can cause sickness. Additionally, the wood proved unsuitable for making ox yokes, as the combination of the wood, sweat, and friction caused burn-like injuries to the oxen’s necks.
Quality Wood: Used in the manufacture of fine furniture.
Cultural Significance
Tamboti wood has a lasting, pleasant scent, earning it the name “African Sandalwood.” The Herero people sprinkle finely ground leaves and twigs on embers and hold their clothes in the aromatic smoke. They also mix powdered wood with fat as a hair fragrance and carve fragrant bead necklaces from the heartwood. Tamboti wood shavings placed among laundry are said to repel insects.
From September onwards, spiral flower spikes appear. The fruits are brown, three-seeded capsules that split into three parts when ripe. The fallen fruits are often punctured by a small grey moth, which lays its eggs inside. When the larvae hatch, they move jerkily when overheated by the sun, causing the seeds to jump into the air, hence the tree’s nickname “jumping bean tree.”
The botanical name Spirostachys means “spiral spike,” referring to the shape of the flower spike, while the species name africana indicates that this species is native to Africa.
With many questions about this beautiful reddish tree arising during our game drives, we thought it was the perfect time to share some background with all our readers. We hope you found this brief exploration of the Tamboti tree as fascinating as we did. Stay tuned for more updates and stories from ONE Namibia.
Distribution Map: Found across most southern African countries except Lesotho.
