Kokerboom tree (or Aloe dichotoma) - the crowned heads of the African desert
The kokerboom tree is a remarkable, dome-shaped tree because it is the only tree which can flourish and survive in the harsh and hostile regions of south-west Africa. No other species of tree exists in these regions.
The strong appearance of the kokerboom tree (Aloe dichotoma) is due the base of the trunk having a diameter of three feet (or 1 meter) and growing to a height of twenty-three feet (or 7 meters). The trunk forks halfway into two branches with each of these branches dividing again. This process seldom happens in flowering trees and gives the kokerboom tree its dome-shaped appearance. These trees may appear to be strong but on closer investigation, the streaky white trunk is actually slender with the bark peeling off.
The tips of the branches have clusters of leaves which are greenish-grey in colour. Bright yellow flowers appear amongst the leaves in June and July which attract insects and birds that come to feed on the nectar-rich flowers. Baboons will live and feed on kokerboom trees and have been known to strip them bare.
The kookerboom tree can live for approximately one hundred years and is able to flourish and thrive in its hostile environment by soaking up moisture from the sea mists that occur at night. The roots of the kokerboom tree, which are thin and fibrous, are responsible for absorbing any precious moisture from the rocky ground.
People from the local tribes, such as the Hottentots and Bushmen, traditionally use the branches to make holders for their arrows and have named these trees the "quiver" tree.
The kookerboom tree is a unique plant because it is the only tree that is able to thrive and flourish in the arid and rocky environment of the south-west regions of Africa.
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