Wild Almond
Brabejum stellatifolium
Common names: Bitteramandel, ghoeboontjie, ghoekoffie
SA Tree No: 72
​
Size:
Is most often a large, spreading multi-stemmed shrub to 5m or a sturdy, well-shaped evergreen tree to 15m.
​
Bark:
The bark is thick, rather smooth, pale greyish-brown in colour and attractively striped and mottled.
Leaf:
The leaves are dark green, hard and leathery to the touch, long and lance-shaped, irregularly and sharply toothed, with a prominent midrib They are arranged in whorls of six at intervals along the stems, radiating out like a star around the branch. Young growth is soft and golden as it is densely covered with rusty-brown hairs..
Flower:
Small (each about 5 mm long), white and sweetly scented flowers. Flowering time is mid summer (December-January).
Fruit:
The fruits are carried in clusters at the tips of branches, and look very similar to almonds. They are almond-shaped, up to 45 mm x 30 mm, and densely covered with rusty or chocolate-brown velvety hairs. The young fruits are an attractive magenta or lilac-purple colour and mature to the typical brown in late summer - autumn (February-May).
Growth Habit:
It has wide spreading branches and a sprawling habit.
​
Habitat:
Most often be found growing near streams on the lower slopes and in sheltered valleys.
​
Wildlife:
Brabejum stellatifolium is pollinated by insects, and it attracts many of them while in flower, as well as insectivorous birds. The fruits float and are dispersed by water.
​
Distribution:
Wild almond trees are confined to the fynbos biome from Gifberg near Clanwilliam to the Hottentots Holland to Klein Rivier Mountans and from the Cape Peninsula to the Riviersonderend Mountains to Riversdale. On the Cape Peninsula, they are abundant on the eastern side of Table Mountain and there are many growing beside the streams
​
Uses:
The early settlers at the Cape took over the practice of soaking, boiling, roasting and grinding the fruits to make a coffee substitute from the Khoi.
​
Wherever side branches are cut, thick branches will grow from below the cut, so it is readily shaped into a good screen or hedge.
Growing it...
Propagate by fresh seed sown in late summer - autumn (Feb-May). The fruits can be sown as is, i.e. no extraction of the seed is required, and they should germinate immediately when they find themselves on a piece of firm, damp soil. There is no need to bury them too deep, they can be placed flat on the surface, or pressed in halfway or until they are just covered. The radicle and shoot will emerge from the pointed end of the fruit. An efficient way is to place 2 or 3 fruits in a 4 kg bag and at least one should germinate. They can also be germinated between two layers of wet hessian (sacking) and then transferred to a bag or pot. Use a light, compost-enriched soil. They are recalcitrant, i.e. they are short lived and will die relatively soon after being stored, even if kept in the fridge. Dried out fruits will not germinate.
April Photo's
