Macledium spinosum mature plant

Enjoying a long-standing establishment, albeit in bare ground, stony conditions, this Macledium spinosum has remained unharmed and undisturbed for a protracted period in the open Little Karoo veld. Life is so much safer from a strong investment in defensive spines serving to keep intruders at bay.

Much-branched, spreading and well-rounded, this bush constitutes desirable lodgings for smaller beasties of the veld in need of places to hide, sleep or nest.

Veld hotels may always have surplus space, caused by occupant tendencies of eating each other. Caution is both instinctive and learned. Occupancy rates suffer from such caution as a popular shelter may also serve as a restaurant for some, in the same way as a watering hole does (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; iNaturalist).