Aloidendron dichotomum, formerly Aloe dichotoma, the quiver tree or kokerboom, is a tall, branching species of succulent plant, indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, and parts of Southern Namibia.
Known as choje to the indigenous San people, the quiver tree gets its English common name from the San people practice of hollowing out the tubular branches of Aloidendron dichotomum to form quivers for their arrows. The specific epithet "dichotomum" refers to how the stems repeatedly branch into two ("dichotomous" branching) as the plant grows.[3] This species was moved to the genus Aloidendron as Aloidendron dichotomum in 2013.[4]
The three species can be distinguished as follows: In A. pillansii, the inflorescences hang from below the lowest leaves, rather than growing erect. A. ramosissimum is considerably smaller—rarely reaching more than 2 m in height—and assumes a more shrub-like shape. While there is a gradation between tree-like A. dichotomum and the shrubby A. ramosissimum, the relatively unique A. pillansii population is separated by a different flowering time and therefore does not interbreed with the other two species.[5]
Distribution and conservationEdit
One of the few examples of spontaneous forests of A. dichotomum is the Quiver Tree Forest, about 14 km north of Keetmanshoop, in Namibia. Another is located in the Northern Cape of South Africa at Gannabos.[citation needed]
Throughout much of its range this species is in decline. Modelling of Aloidendron dichotomum in South Africa and Namibia has contributed to understanding the needs of protected areas in response to climate change. Modelled range declines in this species due to climate change have recently been confirmed by field surveys.[6]
CultivationEdit
Aloidendron dichotomum is cultivated in arid areas around the world, for use in landscaping. The slow growth rate and relative rarity of the plant make it a particularly expensive specimen. It is also relatively difficult to keep outside of its natural habitat.[citation needed]
In cultivation it requires extremely well-drained coarse mineral sand (preferably with some loam and bone meal to keep it active and growing), full sun, good aeration and extremely little water - primarily in the winter (as it mainly occurs in winter rainfall desert areas). In the (rare) event that it is under-watered, the leaves will curl up and die off at the tips; this is not fatal, but indicates that it is relatively dry.[citation needed]
It is unusually prone to aphids and insect infections in between its leaves, and this is exacerbated whenever there is not full sun and constant fresh air movement. Indoor plants require frequent treatment for these pests. Fungicide can be added occasionally, to protect the plant from rot.[citation needed]
It can be propagated from seed and (with more difficulty) from cuttings or truncheons. Cuttings need to be thoroughly dried for several weeks in a shaded area before being planted.[3]
In popular cultureEdit
Michael Benson's book Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece (2018) briefly discusses how the kokerboom piqued the interest of film director, Stanley Kubrick. The book claims that several protected kokerboom trees were cut down so they could be used to film 2001: A Space Odyssey.[7]
^ ab"Aloidendron dichotomum". PlantZAfrica. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
^Grace, O.M.; Klopper, R.R.; Smith, G.F. (2013). "A revised generic classification for Aloe (Xanthorrhoeaceae subfam. Asphodeloideae)". Phytotaxa. 76 (1): 7–14. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.76.1.2. S2CID 86065738. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
^Court, D. (2010). Succulent Flora of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik Nature. ISBN978-1-77007-587-0.
^Foden, Wendy; Midgley, Guy F.; Hughes, Greg; Bond, William J.; Thuiller, Wilfried; Hoffman, M. Timm; Kaleme, Prince; Underhill, Les G.; et al. (2007). "A changing climate is eroding the geographical range of the Namib Desert tree Aloe through population declines and dispersal lags" (PDF). Diversity and Distributions. 13 (5): 645–653. doi:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00391.x. S2CID 53662810. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
^Benson, Michael (2019-04-23). Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece. Simon & Schuster. p. 277. ISBN978-1-5011-6394-4.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aloe dichotoma.
Desert-tropicals.com profile 2017-05-10 at the Wayback Machine
PlantZAfrica.com profile
Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Aloidendron dichotomum". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
October 21, 2023
aloidendron, dichotomum, formerly, aloe, dichotoma, quiver, tree, kokerboom, tall, branching, species, succulent, plant, indigenous, southern, africa, specifically, northern, cape, province, south, africa, parts, southern, namibia, quiver, treeconservation, st. Aloidendron dichotomum formerly Aloe dichotoma the quiver tree or kokerboom is a tall branching species of succulent plant indigenous to Southern Africa specifically in the Northern Cape province of South Africa and parts of Southern Namibia Quiver treeConservation statusVulnerable IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade MonocotsOrder AsparagalesFamily AsphodelaceaeSubfamily AsphodeloideaeGenus AloidendronSpecies A dichotomumBinomial nameAloidendron dichotomum Masson Klopper amp Gideon F Sm 2 Aloidendron dichotomum range Extant resident The distribution of Aloidendron dichotomum light blue in southern AfricaSynonyms 2 Aloe dichotoma MassonRhipidodendrum dichotomum Masson Willd Aloe ramosa Haw Aloe montana SchinzAloe dichotoma var montana Schinz A Berger Contents 1 Naming 2 Related species 3 Distribution and conservation 4 Cultivation 5 In popular culture 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksNaming EditKnown as choje to the indigenous San people the quiver tree gets its English common name from the San people practice of hollowing out the tubular branches of Aloidendron dichotomum to form quivers for their arrows The specific epithet dichotomum refers to how the stems repeatedly branch into two dichotomous branching as the plant grows 3 This species was moved to the genus Aloidendron as Aloidendron dichotomum in 2013 4 Related species EditThree separate species A dichotomum A pillansii and A ramosissimum inhabit the same arid areas of the Richtersveld and the Namib Desert around the South African Namibian border The three have been given different ratings on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species vulnerable for A dichotomum critically endangered for A pillansii and endangered for A ramossisimum citation needed The three species can be distinguished as follows In A pillansii the inflorescences hang from below the lowest leaves rather than growing erect A ramosissimum is considerably smaller rarely reaching more than 2 m in height and assumes a more shrub like shape While there is a gradation between tree like A dichotomum and the shrubby A ramosissimum the relatively unique A pillansii population is separated by a different flowering time and therefore does not interbreed with the other two species 5 Distribution and conservation EditOne of the few examples of spontaneous forests of A dichotomum is the Quiver Tree Forest about 14 km north of Keetmanshoop in Namibia Another is located in the Northern Cape of South Africa at Gannabos citation needed Throughout much of its range this species is in decline Modelling of Aloidendron dichotomum in South Africa and Namibia has contributed to understanding the needs of protected areas in response to climate change Modelled range declines in this species due to climate change have recently been confirmed by field surveys 6 Cultivation EditAloidendron dichotomum is cultivated in arid areas around the world for use in landscaping The slow growth rate and relative rarity of the plant make it a particularly expensive specimen It is also relatively difficult to keep outside of its natural habitat citation needed In cultivation it requires extremely well drained coarse mineral sand preferably with some loam and bone meal to keep it active and growing full sun good aeration and extremely little water primarily in the winter as it mainly occurs in winter rainfall desert areas In the rare event that it is under watered the leaves will curl up and die off at the tips this is not fatal but indicates that it is relatively dry citation needed It is unusually prone to aphids and insect infections in between its leaves and this is exacerbated whenever there is not full sun and constant fresh air movement Indoor plants require frequent treatment for these pests Fungicide can be added occasionally to protect the plant from rot citation needed It can be propagated from seed and with more difficulty from cuttings or truncheons Cuttings need to be thoroughly dried for several weeks in a shaded area before being planted 3 In popular culture EditMichael Benson s book Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick Arthur C Clarke and the Making of a Masterpiece 2018 briefly discusses how the kokerboom piqued the interest of film director Stanley Kubrick The book claims that several protected kokerboom trees were cut down so they could be used to film 2001 A Space Odyssey 7 Gallery Edit nbsp Quiver tree in the Namib Naukluft National Park Namibia nbsp In bloom nbsp Quiver tree in southern Namibia nbsp Growth of a young plant from May to August nbsp Quiver tree at Fish River Canyon Namibia nbsp Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop Namibia in the evening nbsp Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius nest in a Quiver tree Northern Cape South Africa nbsp Quiver tree in flower in the Augrabies National Park South Africa nbsp The flowers of the Quiver tree in May Augrabies National Park South Africa nbsp Quiver trees and Dolerite rocks near Keetmanshoop nbsp Close up photo of bark on a quiver tree See also EditAloidendron barberaeReferences Edit South African National Biodiversity Institute 2022 Aloidendron dichotomum IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022 e T140661836A140666503 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2022 1 RLTS T140661836A140666503 en Retrieved 23 March 2023 a b Aloidendron dichotomum World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Retrieved 16 October 2017 a b Aloidendron dichotomum PlantZAfrica South African National Biodiversity Institute Retrieved 1 February 2023 Grace O M Klopper R R Smith G F 2013 A revised generic classification for Aloe Xanthorrhoeaceae subfam Asphodeloideae Phytotaxa 76 1 7 14 doi 10 11646 phytotaxa 76 1 2 S2CID 86065738 Retrieved 1 February 2023 Court D 2010 Succulent Flora of Southern Africa Cape Town Struik Nature ISBN 978 1 77007 587 0 Foden Wendy Midgley Guy F Hughes Greg Bond William J Thuiller Wilfried Hoffman M Timm Kaleme Prince Underhill Les G et al 2007 A changing climate is eroding the geographical range of the Namib Desert tree Aloe through population declines and dispersal lags PDF Diversity and Distributions 13 5 645 653 doi 10 1111 j 1472 4642 2007 00391 x S2CID 53662810 Retrieved 16 July 2011 Benson Michael 2019 04 23 Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick Arthur C Clarke and the Making of a Masterpiece Simon amp Schuster p 277 ISBN 978 1 5011 6394 4 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aloe dichotoma Desert tropicals com profile Archived 2017 05 10 at the Wayback Machine PlantZAfrica com profile Dressler S Schmidt M amp Zizka G 2014 Aloidendron dichotomum African plants a Photo Guide Frankfurt Main Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aloidendron dichotomum amp oldid 1165655582, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
