Namibia's Tree of the Year 2024: The mustard bush

Visitors to the Etosha National Park know it. Game give it a wide berth because its dense foliage provides perfect cover for any hunter. Hence its German name: Löwen-Busch (lion bush, Salvadora persica).

Botanists in Namibia have named this bush the Tree of the Year 2024. This was announced by the Botanical Society of Namibia (BOTSOC) at the end of last week. The occasion was the Day of the Tree, which always takes place in Namibia on the second Friday in October.

Bush or tree? The mustard bush usually reaches a height of between 1 and 3 metres, sometimes up to 8 metres. With its spreading branches and twigs and evergreen foliage, it has the outward appearance of a bush.

However, the branches and twigs arise from a woody trunk, as befits a tree. This is why the mustard bush can also be found in the Tree Atlas of Namibia (p. 532), which was compiled by botanists Barbara Curtis and Coleen Mannheimer.

Berries contain benzyl mustard oil

The leaves have an elliptical to round shape (see also the article by plant expert Luise Hoffmann in the Namibian from 2015). Regardless of whether it is the rainy or dry season, they are bright green. The mustard bush flowers all year round. The flowers are small and greenish-yellow.

Fruits are only found outside the dry season, from August to May. The pea-sized berries appear in colours ranging from pink to red to brownish-purple. They have a sweet flavour and contain benzyl mustard oil, which explains their English name 'mustard bush'. But be careful when snacking: Some get diarrhoea.

The mustard bush is at home on two large continents: Africa and Asia. Its range extends from areas in Africa to India and China.

In Namibia, it is mainly found in the north-west, i.e. Damaraland and Kaokoland. It lines the banks of the dry rivers from the Kunene River to the Kuiseb Rivier (dry river). It is also found in the Etosha National Park. It has even given its name to a waterhole where it occurs: Salvadora. The town of Khorixas also owes its name to it. Because in Damaragowab it is called N-D khori.

Sven-Eric Stender