The Leadwood
The leadwood is my favourite tree. If it were a human, he would be the wise old man; time-hardened, weathered and gnarled, but ineffably strong and hardy. He would be the one who has borne witness to history and has countless stories to tell. You may have noticed that a stylised silhouette of the leadwood has been used in the brand imaging of Bushveld Terrace. It is a tree that reflects strength, patience and durability. Hopefully our hotel does the same.
So stands the many leadwood trees in our region. In South Africa it occurs predominantly in Limpopo Province and is a semi-deciduous tree that can grow up to 20m in height. They are normally found along water courses but can be found further away if ground water is available. In the Kruger National Park, leadwood trees are plentiful and one needs not travel too far from one of the perennial rivers to find an impressive specimen. Its most diagnostic feature is its bark; pale grey in colour and cracked into neat rectangular blocks. The leaves are pale green, leathery and hairless. Indeed, the leadwood’s scientific name Combretum imberbe describes this; imberbe is Latin for beardless. Its heartwood is very dark brown in colour described aptly by its Zulu name of umbondwe omnyama, meaning a black hole.
The leadwood is slow and long-growing and is amongst the heaviest woods found in the Lowveld. At a density of 1200kg/m³ it is denser than water and a solid stump of leadwood will actually sink. Both its English and Afrikaans (hardekool, meaning hard coal) common names attest to this. As a result, it makes excellent firewood and its coals will burn for hours. Leadwood stumps caught in veld fires can be seen smouldering for weeks after the event and a prone individual left to burn will leave a ghostly ash silhouette when viewed from above. It is a difficult wood to work but has been used for generations by local tribes as a grain mortar. Before metal became popular, thinner branches were fashioned into hoe handles and due to their resistance to termites and other insect borers were used as fencing posts to make kraals for their cattle.
Its density and durability means that a dead leadwood will remain standing for hundreds of years after its death. In the Kruger National Park’s Letaba Rest Camp, the remaining stump of one such tree has been landscaped into a garden bed close to the Elephant Museum. Radio-carbon dating reveals that the tree started growing in approximately 1160 AD and died in approximately 1671 AD, making the tree 511 years old when it perished. And 350 years later its stump is still intact!
The uses of the leadwood tree are many. Medicinally, the smoke from burning leaves when inhaled relieves coughs, colds and other chest complaints. An infusion made from the flowers will do the same. Diarrhoea is treated by ingesting a root decoction while an infusion made from root bark is administered for bilharzia.
Additionally, leadwood ash has a high lime content and can be used to whitewash buildings. Mixing the ash with a little water forms a very effective toothpaste. The gum that exudes from damaged areas is edible and relished by the Bushmen in particular. Root bark that is boiled in water can be used for tanning leather.
Bird watching is a common pastime in the Kruger Park. But tree spotting is fast becoming more and more popular with Park-goers. Invest in a quality tree book and give it a try on your next Kruger visit. And the best thing is they don’t fly off!
