Cassia abbreviata subsp. beareana branch curvature

Contorted, brown-bark, lower branches of Cassia abbreviata subsp. beareana are rough-surfaced below the green mass of February foliage.

The bark is or was traditionally collected for use as an aphrodisiac. To gain full and reliable information about the correct procedure for this a visit to the Lowveld is recommended for consultation with sangomas in good standing. The bark is also added to the fire when cooking meat. Eating such meat ensures success during future hunts. Not all the pods hanging here are straight or precisely vertical. And not all stories need to be believed.

A cylindrical fruit that may be as long as 90 cm and only 3 cm wide will certainly be noticed. The blackish seeds are positioned neatly transverse, tightly aligned inside the pod. They are food for several bird species, including hornbills, barbets and grey louries. A today less heard Afrikaans name for the tree, kersboom (candle tree), relates to the resemblance of the fruits to the homemade candles of olden times.  

There can’t be many trees on earth that match such fruit (Erasmus, 2016; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Venter and Venter, 1996; iNaturalist).