SPECIES ID ‒ TREES General description
The red bushwillow, Combretum apiculatum subsp. apiculatum (rooiboswilg in Afrikaans, but most commonly known as a rooibos), is a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree, 3-9 metres tall, generally with a shortish, crooked main stem (often multi-stemmed from or near the ground surface), with a spreading, irregular and sparse crown. Its most common growth form, however, is best described as a bush, rather than a tree.
In Xitsonga it is known as shikukutsi, musinidzi in Tshivenda, and imbondvo in siSwati. It is drought-resistant, but not frost-resistant. It is also termite and borer-resistant.
Nick Zambatis was the former Manager: Biodiversity Conservation in Conservation Management: Kruger National Park. He retired in 2016. His first job in the Kruger was as a research technician based at Skukuza, which…