Where does the name quiver tree come from?

Hollowed branches used as arrow quivers

Where does it store water?

In its trunk, branches and leaves

How is climate change affecting quiver trees?

Some populations are dying where it is hottest

Quiver Tree Quiz: Namibia's Water-Storing Giant Aloe

This quiver tree quiz stands among the branching giant aloes of southern Africa's dry country. Play 10 interactive questions on how hollowed branches became arrow quivers, a trunk and branches that store water, a white powder that reflects sunlight, yellow winter flowers that feed birds, the Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop and how climate change is shifting its range.

Start Quiver Tree Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Region
Where do quiver trees grow?
Type
What kind of plant is the quiver tree?
Name
Where does the name quiver tree come from?
Water
Where does it store water?
Powder
What covers its branches to reflect sunlight?
Flowers
When do its yellow flowers bloom?
Forest
Near which Namibian town is the Quiver Tree Forest?
Weavers
Which birds may build huge nests in quiver trees?
Age
How long can quiver trees live?
Climate
How is climate change affecting quiver trees?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where do quiver trees grow?
Answer: Southern Namibia and South Africa
They live in hot, dry country.
Q2: What kind of plant is the quiver tree?
Answer: A giant aloe
Its scientific name changed from Aloe.
Q3: Where does the name quiver tree come from?
Answer: Hollowed branches used as arrow quivers
San hunters used them.
Q4: Where does it store water?
Answer: In its trunk, branches and leaves
Succulent tissue holds moisture.
Q5: What covers its branches to reflect sunlight?
Answer: A white powder
It keeps the plant cooler.
Q6: When do its yellow flowers bloom?
Answer: In winter
Birds and insects visit.
Q7: Near which Namibian town is the Quiver Tree Forest?
Answer: Keetmanshoop
It is a national monument.
Q8: Which birds may build huge nests in quiver trees?
Answer: Sociable weavers
Their nests house many birds.
Q9: How long can quiver trees live?
Answer: Hundreds of years
They grow slowly.
Q10: How is climate change affecting quiver trees?
Answer: Some populations are dying where it is hottest
Ranges may shift toward cooler areas.

A Giant Aloe That Holds Water

The quiver tree grows in the hot, dry country of southern Namibia and South Africa's Northern Cape. Despite its tree-like shape, it is a giant aloe, now called Aloidendron dichotomum. Its name comes from San hunters, who hollowed out the soft branches to make quivers for their arrows.

The trunk, branches and leaves store water in succulent tissue, helping the plant survive long droughts. A white powder on the branches reflects sunlight and keeps it cooler. In winter, bright yellow flowers bloom, feeding birds, bees and baboons, and sociable weavers sometimes build huge shared nests in its branches.

Quiver trees grow slowly and can live for hundreds of years. The Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop is a national monument and a favorite spot for night sky photos. Some populations are dying in the hottest parts of their range, and scientists watch to see whether they shift toward cooler areas.

What This Quiz Teaches

Plant fans will enjoy these questions.

What the quiver tree is
How it got its name
How it stores water
Where to see it
How climate affects it

Did You Know?

Branches fork again and again.
Bark peels in golden flakes.
Photographers love it at sunset.
Seeds are spread by wind.
Rock hyraxes shelter nearby.