General description and identification
Another one of the ‘Big Seven’ trees of the Kruger National Park (KNP), the nyala tree (Xanthocercis zambesiaca) or nhlarhu in XiTsonga, mutshato in Tshivenda and njalaboom in Afrikaans, is an exceptionally large tree (up to 30m tall), with an enormous, very dense, rounded crown of drooping, dark glossy-green leaves. It is evergreen, but not drought-resistant nor frost-hardy.
“An exceptionally large tree (up to 30m tall), with an enormous, very dense, rounded crown of drooping.” The genus name, Xanthocercis, is derived from the Greek xanthos, meaning ‘yellow’, and cercis, referring to a small genus Cercis, derived from the Greek ‘kerkis’, meaning ‘weaver’s shuttle’. The species name, zambesiaca, means ‘of the Zambezi region’.
Identification
The bark of the main stem is dark grey, with drooping, slender branches.…