The indigenous people used to hollow out the tubular branches of the tree and make quivers for their arrows.
This is how the tree got its name.
According to local tradition, the tree brings good luck to anybody that worships and nurtures it.
It is even said that if one digs up a tree, they will find diamonds where it grows.
Thankfully, since these trees are blessed, nobody wants to dig them up.
The Quiver tree grows aplenty in southern Namibia.
There is a whole grove of them near Keetmanshoop called theQuiver Tree Forest, which is a tourist attraction.
The forest has grown spontaneously, and the tallest quiver trees are two to three centuries old.
The forest was declared a national monument of Namibia in 1995.
The entire body is densely covered in sharp spines.
The plant is unusual because of its large, strap like leaves that grow continuously along the ground.
Carbon-14 dating of the largest plants have shown that some individuals are over 1500 years old.
The leaves grow an average 8 to 15 centimeter per year.
Some of the largest specimens can be 4 meters across.
Because of the dependence on fog, the plant is seldom found more than 100 km from the coast.
It can grow to 2.5m in height, and produce a toxic, milky latex.
At the tips of its branches are yellow-brown capsules which appear during the fruiting season.
The plant is one of the most toxic plants in Namibia.
Photo credit:Leon Brocard/Flickr
