south african tree with thorns on the trunk
silk floss tree
title: Canthium inerme text: Canthium inerme Canthium inerme (Turkey-berry) is a tough, adaptable medium-sized tree from South Africa. It bears small edible fruits and has a variety of uses in traditional medicine. The Latin species name of this plant, ""inerme"", actually means ""unarmed"", which is an unusual (possibly ironic) name for a tree that does in fact have thorns. Its common name in English refers to how much birds of all kinds enjoy eating the fruits, while the Afrikaans name, "bokdrol", means "buck droppings", and refers to the appearance of the fruits. It has a wide distribution, occurring from Cape Town in the south, title: Euphorbia virosa text: Euphorbia virosa Euphorbia virosa, the Gifboom or poison tree, is a plant of the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It has a short main stem, usually twisted, from which 5–10 cm branches emerge. These leafless branches have 5 to 8 edges. Paired thorns grow in regularly spaced intervals from the edges. "Euphorbia virosa" is commonly distributed from the Orange River in South Africa to Southern Angola, occupying mainly arid areas in Namibia. The plant contains within the branches a milky and creamy substance with carcinogenic properties. This substance is very poisonous and is used by San (Bushmen) to dip the tips of title: Boscia albitrunca text: Boscia albitrunca Boscia albitrunca, commonly known as the shepherd tree or shepherd's tree (, , , , , ), is a protected tree in South Africa. The species epithet "albitrunca" refers to the oftentimes white trunk. It is an evergreen tree native to southern and tropical Africa, living in the hot, dry, and often brackish low-lying areas, sometimes on abundant lime or occasionally found in rocky terrain. It is a common tree of the Kalahari, bushveld and lowveld. It is one of the most important forage trees in the Kalahari. This tree grows up to tall but is usually much title: Aeschynomene elaphroxylon text: Aeschynomene elaphroxylon Aeschynomene elaphroxylon, also known as an ambatch, pith tree or balsa wood tree, is a common large shrub to small tree of the genus "Aeschynomene" in the Fabaceae family. It can grow up to 9 m high, with spiny stems, and pairs of substantial thorns under the base of leaves. "A. elaphroxylon" is indigenous to parts of tropical Africa. It typically grows by water and in waterlogged soils, such as by rivers, lakes and swamps in countries like Ghana and Nigeria, but is widespread across tropical Africa to Ethiopia and Sudan, and further south and east in Zimbabwe. title: Boscia albitrunca text: the deepest known roots. "Boscia" belongs to the caper family Capparaceae. Pickled capers are made from the unopened buds of European members of this family. "Boscia albitrunca" is closely related to "Boscia foetida" subsp. "rehmanniana", which has much smaller leaves and velvet-textured fruits. The genus was named for Louis Bosc (1759–1828), a French professor of agriculture who lived through the revolution. Boscia albitrunca Boscia albitrunca, commonly known as the shepherd tree or shepherd's tree (, , , , , ), is a protected tree in South Africa. The species epithet "albitrunca" refers to the oftentimes white trunk. It is an