Fire damage to Schinziophyton rautanenii (Schinz) trees in north-eastern Namibia.

Abstract

The nuts of the Mangetti, Schinziophyton rautanenii, are an important food source for a number of rural communities. The environment in which the tree grows, however, is subject to frequent burning. A number of trees have been seen with a characteristic inverted U-shaped fire lesion on the base of the trunk. A collapsed trunk as well as a vertical scar in the same tree showed that heavy branches or a second trunk may collapse under their own weight, thus providing a point for fire entry.