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BOOK REVIEW

Know Them by Their Fruit

A guide to identifying South African trees

For all the nature lovers,
we recommend this latest release
from Jacana Media.

his is a unique, first-of-its-kind tree book There, as a research forester, he was tasked with
with beautiful illustrations of the fruiting collecting the fruits of ornamental trees in the
Ttwigs of 381 South African trees. The reason streets and cemeteries of the capital for the central
behind illustrating tree fruits is that, like so many seed store.
tree-lovers, the author, Trevor Ankiewicz found it
difficult to identify many tree species from their He worked for several years in the Department
leaves as they are the most variable of all the plant of Agricultural and Technical Services as a
parts. Fruits, like flowers, have much more stable horticulturalist at their Horticultural and Botanical
shapes and sizes and, Research Institute in
unlike flowers, are easier Pretoria. He then returned
to identify macroscopically. to Saasveld in 1983 and
Scratch around the under- continued working as an
canopy of trees and you extension forester until
may find the remains of completing his career
fruit that can be useful in the civil service as a
for identification. Thus, public relations officer
this book was born, and it for the Department of
represents the culmination Nature and Environmental
of some 40 years’ work by Conservation in the
the author. Southern Cape Regional
Office in George. He later
The book, published became involved as an
in partnership with the environmental educator
Botanical Society of South for the South African
Africa, includes: Forestry Company Limited
• Specially coded keys (SAFCOL) with regards
showing colour and size to the accreditation by
for easy identification. the Forestry Stewardship
• The current botanical Council (FSC) of native
binomial, recent old forests and commercial
names (due to taxonomic plantations.
changes) and the ‘best’
common names. During collecting trips as a
• Notes on distribution, pupil forester, he realised
fruiting time and habitats. the fruits and pods were
• 381 Beautiful illustrations often an easy way of
of the fruiting twigs of South African trees. identifying the trees. It was then that the idea was
conceived to produce a field guide concentrating
Trevor Ankiewicz grew up on a Highveld farm in on these diagnostic features to supplement the
the Bronkhorstspruit district. Having completed many excellent publications already available on
secondary school at Belfast High School he indigenous South African trees.
furthered his studies at the Saasveld School
for Foresters on the outskirts of George. Upon
graduating in 1966, he was transferred to the South Suggested Retail Price: R350.00
African Forestry Research Institute in Pretoria.
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