Aloe dichotoma - Quiver Tree Kokerboom Seeds - Indigenous Succulent - NEW

Aloes are very popular and some of the most rewarding plants to cultivate. They make excellent accent plants owing to their often strange and inspiring architectures, as well as the bright flowers that offset the grey-green leaves. They are also very suitable as container plants and small aloes can be used very effectively as border plants at the edge of a bed. Although aloes are most often included in rockeries, their application in horticulture is not limited to this feature and they can be used in almost any setting and in conjunction with most common garden plants. Their natural adaptation to harsh and often arid climates makes aloes outstanding subjects for the water-wise garden.

         
Aloe dichotoma, commonly known as Kokerboom or Quiver Tree is a distinctive tree aloe that has smooth branches, which are covered with a thin layer of whitish powder (bloom) that helps to reflect away the hot sun's rays. The bark on the trunk forms beautiful golden brown scales, but beware, the edges of these scales are razor sharp. The crown is often densely rounded as a result of the repeatedly forked branches, hence the species name dichotoma. The blue-green leaves are borne on terminal rosettes, but in juvenile plants the leaves are ranked in vertical rows. Aloe dichotoma is an extremely tough tree that may reach an age of over 80 years and a height of approximately 7 metres. A common phenomenon in the branches of these trees is the huge communal nest of weavers that live and breed by the thousands. Here their young and unborn are safe from predators such as snakes and jackals. Large trunks of dead trees are also hollowed out and used as a natural fridge. Water, meat and vegetables are stored inside it. The fibrous tissue of the trunk has a cooling effect as air passes through it, a so-called natural fridge. It grows in arid, rocky hillsides in the western and northwestern regions receiving minimal rainfall. The quiver tree occurs from the Brandberg in Namibia southwards to Nieuwoudtville, and eastwards to Upington and Kenhardt in South Africa.