This photo is of the flowering canopy of an exotic tree found planted through much of the higher-rainfall, low-frost eastern areas of South Africa. Flamboyant, Delonix regia, originally from South America, is well known as a beautiful street tree in Durban and is blooming in many areas right now. Very few exotic trees have been left in the Rest Camps in Kruger Park, but one specimen of this Flamboyant remains in Pretoriuskop. If anyone knows the history of this particular individual specimen, we would love to have that Info to include in the March release of TheTreeApp Kruger – sadly delayed from November (as planned) due to difficult mapping and IT issues.
Interesting historical note from; The Kruger Experience: Ecology And Management Of Savanna Heterogeneity edited by Johan T. du Toit, Kevin H. Rogers, Harry C. Biggs
‘Human-assisted invasion in Kruger … highlights the role played by staff in introducing [plant] species into rest camps and gardens. In 1935 ranger Hoare objected to the planting of Flamboyant, Delonix regia at Pretoriuskop; this is one of the first efforts to actively prevent an intentional introduction of an alien species [into Kruger Park] (Joubert 1986).’
