BLOODWOOD TREE

General description and identification

A tall, deciduous, slightly flat-crowned tree with a high canopy, kiaat can grow to over 30m in height in optimal habitat, but generally up to about 15m.

It has a rough, dark grey-brown bark, cracking into rectangular blocks on older trees. The shiny leaves are compound (divided into two rows of leaflets), lighter green below, and tend to hang downwards. The yellow flowers appear in abundance in early spring, usually before the new leaves emerge and are a good source of pollen for honey-bees, an insect which in recent years has been severely negatively affected by human activities. In botanic terms, the kiaat belongs to the bean and pea sub-family.

The fruit is uniquely characteristic