Mopane Tree

Naturally occurring

By far the Mopane is the most common of our trees at The Plot.

Mopane means butterfly in Shona and the tree has distinctive butterfly-shaped leaves.

Mopane worms

If you mention a Mopane Tree to anybody, the first thing that comes to mind are the Mopane Worm, which is the caterpillar of the Emperor Moth, Gonimbrasia belina. These are a much sought-after delicacy by people; they are rich in protein and they are eaten either roasted or dried.

In Botswana they are harvested and we see temporary camps set up along roads during the mopane worm season, which can start as early as Christmas and go through to March. It has become a major source of income for many.

Other Insects

The Mopane tree also plays host to the mopane psyllid, Arytaina mopani. It is the juvenile stage of this sap-sucking insect (related to leaf-hoppers) that can be found on the trees.

This sweet-tasting, wax covered insect, known locally as Mopane manna, is picked off the leaves by humans, monkeys and baboons.

The ‘mopane fly’, which is best known for the attraction to the ones eye and nose moisture, lives in hollows in the trunks of the trees where they do produce some honey. These aren’t flies at all, but small stingless bees.

The beauty of the Mopane

The tree can get up to 25m tall and it is found as single or multiple stemmed tree. It can also be found as a bush and called ‘mopane scrub’ this is locally called, in Botswana, as “gumane”.

In spring new leaves come out in a kaleidoscope of colours of red, orange and yellow making the bush resemble a fire.

Even though the Mopane has a large canopy it does not make for an excellent shade tree. The leaves fold together during the heat of the day, which means that it exposes only the smallest possible surface area and hence reduces water loss through evaporation.

Being one of the hardest woods in southern Africa makes it difficult to work. The advantage for the tree is that it is termite resistant and the benefit to humans is that it can be used as fencing poles and structural poles for structures.

Every year millions of kidney shaped seeds fall to the ground, they do not split and germination happens within the pod.

Animals

Elephants as well as many other game species enjoy the protein-rich leaves and pods. Goats will also feed on Mopane, but only as a last resort.

The tree has the ability to release tannins, so if an animal feeds off it too long the tree becomes unpalatable.

Other uses of the Mopane:

• Twigs can be chewed as a toothbrush,
• The bark is used to make ropes and for tanning leather,
• The leaves are used to stop bleeding and to accelerate healing of wounds.
• The wood was at one stage used to make railway sleepers and as props for mines.
• Ash from the wood is high in phosphate, calcium and lime and hence used as fertilizer and to make whitewash.