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Rooies, I thought Timaka was a weak guess... let's try Mavalanga for the longest?

Phone Kirsty Redman

1) Paperbark thorn Acacia sieberiana

It is a favourite nesting site for many birds. The flowers lure beetles, bees, butterflies and thrips. Pied and crested barbets make nesting holes in the tree whilst the flowers lure beetles, bees and butterflies, attracting insectivorous birds such as the bar throated Apolis as well as white bellied, black and collared sunbirds.

2) Buffalo thorn Ziziphus mucronata

Although the fruit of Ziziphus mucronata cannot be counted as very tasty, the tree itself plays an important role ecologically. The leaves and fruit are sought after by birds of many species, wild animals and domestic stock. Giraffes are known to be especially fond of the leaves of this tree. Impala often feed on the dead leaves lying under the tree. Its inconspicuous, green to yellow flowers produce abundant nectar and often yield a good honey. The Buffalo thorn is browsed by stock animals, as well as antelope (such as kudu, eland, sable, impala, klipspringer, nyala, black wildebeest, steenbok, springbok, Sharpe’s grysbok and the Damara dik-dik). Giraffe and warthog also eat the nutritious leaves and fruit. Chacma baboon and Vervet monkey too. This tree is highly regarded as a fodder tree, particularly in the drier regions of the country. The flowers produce large amounts of nectar and are favoured by bees. Four types of butterfly larvae feed on the leaves. The butterflies are – the Black pie, Common dotted blue, Hintza pie and the White pie. Several species of birds frequent the Buffalo-thorn to eat the ripe fruit and the numerous insects attracted to the star-shaped flowers. It also attracts the Grey lourie, Burchell’s coucal, Meyer’s parrot, Helmeted guineafowl, Swainson’s, Crested and Natal francolins.

3) Sycamore fig Ficus sucomorus

In tropical areas where the wasp is common, complex mini-ecosystems involving the wasp, nematodes, other parasitic wasps, and various larger predators revolve around the life cycle of the fig. The trees' random production of fruit in such environments assures its constant attendance by the insects and animals which form this ecosystem.