Cape Almond

We often go for walks in Newlands Forest as a family - just on the other side of Table Mountain. Here, giant and ancient Cape Wild Almond or Bitter Almond (Brabejum stellatifolium) trees sprawl beside the streams; creating cathedrals with their impressive and multiple trunks. These trees form part of South Africa's troubled past, as they were part of the first land disputes between first people KhoiKhoi and the Dutch colonists (you can read more here; https://www.thetablemountainfund.org.za/the-wild-almond-a-little-piece-of-south-africas-history and here: http://pza.sanbi.org/brabejum-stellatifolium).

These trees produce a poisonous, furry almond-like fruit in the autumn in bright shades of mohagany or reddish brown which fade to a warm, rusty brown, and formed the inspiration for this colour. 

The trees have just finished flowering at this time (January) - our December evening walks were perfumed by the fresh, heady and sweetly scented blooms in the lazy summer evening light.