How the Quiver Tree Got Its Name

FEW travelers in the arid wilderness regions of southern Africa have failed to be impressed by the sight of a quiver tree. “With its grey bark streaked with white . . . , it stands erect on the ribs of the mountains, stark and dignified. . . . They are like the centurions of a forgotten legion, inured to wind, sun, thirst, and freezing nights.” That is how Jon Manchip White describes quiver trees in his book The Land God Made in Anger.

Actually, the quiver tree is one of 150 species of aloe that grow in southern Africa. Though it has spiky, succulent leaves, it grows in regions that receive little or no rain. It survives by storing water in its trunk. Every June and July, the quiver tree is thus able to treat the local birds, bees, and baboons to a copious feast of nectar from its bright yellow flowers.

Why, though, is this tree popularly called the quiver tree? Because the Bushmen, the innovative hunter-​gatherers of southern Africa, used the branches of the tree to fashion quivers for their arrows. These resourceful inventors removed the soft fibrous core of the branch, leaving the hard outer shell to dry into a hollow tube. Hence it’s name​—the quiver tree.