Vol. 79 No. 03 (2024): The South African Dental Journal

Butterfly-shaped leaves make the deciduous mopane seem magical come autumn. After winter the bare branches fill up with small green flowers and new leaves. The Shona people were first to spot that the oblong-shaped leaves resemble butterfly wings, hence the Shona word for butterfly, mopane. The proudly South African tree can be a stout shrub (aka the mopane scrub) or a 25m-tall tree, depending on the soil and weather conditions. Elephants love mopane leaves, but their avid grazing often causes stunted growth. Mopane moths populate the butterfly tree. These insects, when in caterpillar form, are a nutritious food source in African communities.