Botanical atlas

Geelbos

Galenia africana

In the dry heartland of the Karoo, Geelbos has long been a familiar, if double-edged, presence. Farmers and herders once planted it around kraals and used crushed leaves as a folk dressing for sores, wounds, and skin troubles on both people and livestock, which is how it earned the Afrikaans name kraalbos, or enclosure bush. Its bitter, resinous leaves also gave it a reputation as a natural deterrent against ticks and other pests around animal enclosures. This same plant, however, is infamous in veterinary circles as one of the chief causes of geeldikkop, a serious liver poisoning in grazing sheep, a reminder that traditional familiarity and safety are not always the same thing.

Safety.

This plant is genuinely toxic and a well-documented cause of geeldikkop, a serious and sometimes fatal liver-damaging condition in grazing livestock. It should not be ingested in any form, and even topical use should be approached with caution, especially during pregnancy, in children, or with liver conditions.