Tylecodon paniculatus
The Botterboom (“Butter Tree”) is a xerophytic plant native to the Succulent Karoo, occurring from the Eastern Cape to central Namibia. It is the largest species of its genus, growing up to 3m tall, and usually grows on rocky slopes. Botterbome make wonderful feature plants in a water-wise indigenous garden, but as it is poisonous will cause paralysis and even death in livestock that feeds on it.
The Botterboom flowers from November, seeding in autumn in time for the sparse winter rainfall season in its native range. It is pollinated by nectar-feeding birds. The plants drops its leaves at the onset of the flowering season, photosynthesizing through its fat, yellow-green stem during the very hot and dry Succulent Karoo summer and carrying leaves only from autumn to spring.
DeWetsWild 
Nou laat my terug dink aan my hoërskool jare. Ek het gereeld oor naweke by ‘n vriendin op ‘n hulle plaas buite Clanwilliam gaan kuier. Hulle het ‘n klipperige koppie op hulle plaas gehad waar daar baie botterbome was. Ons het altyd tot heel bo gestap en dan van die dooie botterbome gebruik om teen die koppie af te gly (ons weergawe van “snow boarding”) 😉. Ons het gereeld Sondagaande terug gekom in die koshuis met nerf af kniee! Dankie dat jy nou so ‘n lekker herinnering wakker gemaak het met jou botterboom foto’s!
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Ek het al gelees van mense wat die stamme gebruik het as n “slee”, min wetend ek weet van iemand met eerstehandse ervaring! Klink na groot pret, maar mens moes seker jouself mooi was na jy klaar was sodat jy nie die gif perongeluk inkry nie?
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O ja, as ons so vol stof terug gekom het by die plaashuis, het my vriendin se ma ons altyd staan en inwag en onmiddellik in die groot baddens geboender sodat ons ons kon skrop (dan het daardie nerf af kniee darem vir jou gebrand, hoor)! ‘n Mens is nogal voortvarend as jy kind is 😄.
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Vandag se kinders het geen idee hoe seer n bad kan wees as dit n vies ma is wat jou in n sinkbad boender en met n skropborseltjie bykom nie! 😀
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Haha, nou praat jy darem ‘n waarheid, hoor 😂.
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I must look out for this tree 🙂
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They look like bonsai baobabs to me, Anne – I’m sure you won’t have any trouble to pick them out next time you’re traveling through the Little Karoo
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It’s pretty and I can do without the poison but what a fantastic name!
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I love a name that makes you scratch your head and wanting to learn more about the reasons behind it!
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