If you are seeking to log this one, you are heading inside the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, a great attraction in the City, to find a tree.
This magnificent tree is a Jackalberry, an evergeen that is well adjusted to the Savannah's climate. In the drier months, it sheds some of its leaves but will never be fully bare. Its wood is hard and usually dark (that's why this tree is also known as "African Ebony") and very resistant to termites. A far and deep-reaching root system enables it to get to water long after it last rained. Its wide-spreading, ample canopy provides lots of shade and helps regulating the tree's temperature to prevent excessive water loss hrough evaporation. The jackalberry tree has the ability to grow on anthills and termite mounds, even though this example chose a more conventional spot. To have insects burrow underneath helps retain moisture in the soil, which the tree then can use. Plus, ant or termite business makes all kinds of organic matter available that enrich the ground with nutrients.
The jackalberry's bark is thick and rough, which is protection against heat and fire, as well as hungry herbivores. It's a special feature which is interesting to inspect.
The name comes from the fruit it bears. The flesh of these small, round morsels of seeds has a chaulky consistency and a lemony-sweet flavour. It is a favourite with baboons, hornbills, impalas, and a long list of more animals, of which the jackal lends the tree its name.
Please do not hurt it when you put back the cache and do not miss the other cache to find on your way back out!
The honor of FTF goes to Waffie67 on Sep 15, 2024.