I have had someone wondering about the name of this blog. It's named after a tree species I loved in South Africa, Celtis africana. It's commonly known as the White Stinkwood, due to the pungent smell given off by the bark when the wood is cut. While the name of the tree isn't flattering, they are beautiful trees. In the Magaliesberg range they dominate the riparian (riverine) forests, especially on south-facing slopes. I seldom saw them at home, but they were very common in the club my dad belonged to in the Skeerpoort district.
Once upon a time, when the trees in my neighbourhood had reached a certain size, we started to get forest birds from that area in our gardens. They brought with them the seeds of these trees, and one sprouted at the bottom of the garden, in what had been a vegetable patch. I transplanted it to the front lawn, where as far as I know, it's still growing.
The trees feature in my first book The Ironwood Staff, which is on Amazon, and free on Prime!
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