Pterocarpus rotundifolius subsp. rotundifolius or dopperkiaat

Stands of small Pterocarpus rotundifolius subsp. rotundifolius shrublets like these green ones are much more common in the Lowveld than tall trees of the species. These may in time become a dense colony though, if the elephants that find the new growth very palatable don’t interfere much by breaking and eating branches. Other browsers like impala and kudu, common in the Lowveld, also take their share.

Why the tree is called dopperkiaat in Afrikaans is not quite certain. It may have come from an older Afrikaans name for the tree, dop-ertjiekiaat (pod pea teak), no longer heard. The fruit pod of the tree contains a single seed that may have been likened to a pea, an ertjie in Afrikaans, the pod being a dop. Dopperkiaat may then simply be a contraction, simplifying the pronunciation and discarding the diminutive.

Bloodwood teak, the English common name for the tree, is not frost-resistant, but Gauteng gardeners are likely to succeed with it if a protected garden spot is available; call it semi-hardy. The tree can be grown from seeds, cuttings or truncheons. The quick growth (up to 1 m per annum) and good flowering may serve as attractions. 

Incidentally, the bloodwood name has spilt over from the popular P. angolensis or Transvaal teak tree that exudes red sap, sometimes used as a dye, when sawn. Good and bad names may spread in families to quite innocent relatives, bringing fame or infamy (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002).