Page 40 - Waterfall Issue 10 2021

Waterfall 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.

T his is a unique, first-of-its-kind tree book with

beautiful illustrations of the fruiting twigs of 381
South African trees. The reason behind illustrating
tree fruits is that, like so many tree-lovers, the author,
Trevor Ankiewicz found it difficult to identify many tree
species from their leaves as they are the most variable of all
the plant parts. Fruits, like flowers, have much more stable
shapes and sizes and, unlike flowers, are easier to identify
macroscopically. Scratch around the under-canopy of trees
and you may find the remains of fruit that can be useful for
identification. Thus, this book was born, and it represents
the culmination of some 40 years’ work by the author.

The book, published in partnership with the
Botanical Society of South Africa, includes:
• Specially coded keys showing colour
and size for easy identification.
• The current botanical binomial, recent old names (due to
taxonomic changes) and the ‘best’ common names.
• Notes on distribution, fruiting time and habitats.
• 381 Beautiful illustrations of the fruiting
twigs of South African trees.

Trevor Ankiewicz grew up on a Highveld farm in the Department of Nature and Environmental Conservation
Bronkhorstspruit district. Having completed secondary in the Southern Cape Regional Office in George. He later
school at Belfast High School he furthered his studies became involved as an environmental educator for the
at the Saasveld School for Foresters on the outskirts of South African Forestry Company Limited (SAFCOL) with
George. upon graduating in 1966, he was transferred regards to the accreditation by the Forestry Stewardship
to the South African Forestry Research Institute in Council (FSC) of native forests and commercial plantations.
Pretoria. There, as a research forester, he was tasked with
collecting the fruits of ornamental trees in the streets and During collecting trips as a pupil forester, he realised the
cemeteries of the capital for the central seed store. fruits and pods were often an easy way of identifying
the trees. It was then that the idea was conceived to
He worked for several years in the Department of produce a field guide concentrating on these diagnostic
Agricultural and Technical Services as a horticulturalist features to supplement the many excellent publications
at their Horticultural and Botanical Research Institute in already available on indigenous South African trees.
Pretoria. He then returned to Saasveld in 1983 and continued
working as an extension forester until completing his Retail price: R350.00
career in the civil service as a public relations officer for the

38 Waterfall Issue 10 2021