Meet the Lebombo Euphorbia
Singita is very fortunate to share its concession in the Kruger National Park with an astonishing variety of unique and interesting flora. The 33,000 acres of land in the southeastern reaches of the park lie between the red rhyolite-based Lebombo Mountains in the east and the flat grasslands with their extremely fertile basaltic soils in the west. This creates a beautiful and varied landscape filled with rich, verdant plant life.
Flora, like fauna, has its own preferences in terms of habitat, and the differences in soil type and topography allow for a wonderful and flourishing spectrum to exist. One such example of this unique vegetation is the Lebombo euphorbia (Euphorbia confinalis), a cactus-like tree with a single trunk and a canopy of upward-growing branches. It is only found in the Lebombo mountain region, and, along with its cousin, the Transvaal candelabra euphorbia, is an incredibly picturesque and exotic part of the local landscape.
They are very drought resistant and are particularly beautiful from June to August, when they grow small, light-yellow flowers in groups of three along the spine of each cucumber-shaped lobe.
Trees of the euphorbia family are filled with a white, milky latex and are extremely toxic. As a result, the tree is not eaten by many animals. Despite this, the traditional uses are quite varied – they include using it to stun fish (making them easier to catch), for treating lesions and wounds on cattle, and as an effective poison for hunting arrows.
Find out more about the local flora of Singita Kruger National Park, as well as interesting game spotting and animal stores by catching up on the latest Wildlife Reports from the region.
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