{"id":800,"date":"2025-11-24T18:32:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T00:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/?p=800"},"modified":"2025-11-24T18:32:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T00:32:48","slug":"martin-heigen-photographer-or-martin-and-the-quiver-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/martin-heigen-photographer-or-martin-and-the-quiver-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Heigan, Photographer (or Martin and the Quiver Trees)"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Photos: All photos on this page are by Martin Heigan.)<\/sup><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

Martin Heigan is a South African photographer whose work often highlights desert plants and landscapes. His images are clear, composed, and informative\u2014showing structure, light, and habitat without distraction.<\/p>\n

The Details<\/h3>\n

Martin\u2019s photographs of the quiver tree, Aloe (Aloidendron) dichotoma, show why this species stands out in dry country. The common name comes from the practice of hollowing branches to make arrow quivers used by Indigenous peoples. Most plants occur in South Africa, with populations extending into Namibia.<\/p>\n

Within this group, closely related forms include A. ramosissimum and A. pillansii. Treatments vary, but all share the same general theme: tall, branching crowns and thick, water-holding stems adapted to arid climates. Mature A. dichotoma can reach tree-like size with stout basal trunks and a canopy that casts real shade on rocky slopes.<\/p>\n

In some areas, quiver tree stands show signs of stress\u2014fewer seedlings and losses of older plants during hotter, drier periods. Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns likely play a role. A. pillansii is considered at very high risk in the wild, and careful protection of remaining plants and habitats matters.<\/p>\n

Martin\u2019s images capture these trees in context\u2014bark texture, branching patterns, and flowering scenes\u2014so viewers can appreciate both the plant and its place. As you browse the gallery, note how light, season, and setting bring out different features of the same species.<\/p>\n

Additional Reading:\u00a0Quiver Tree and Global Warming<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Quiver <\/a>
Trunk of ancient quiver tree in South Africa, Martin Heigen <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Quiver <\/a>
The Quiver Tree Forest at Nieuwoudtville, Martin Heigen <\/div> <\/div>
\"Quiver <\/a>
Quiver trees in western South Africa, Martin Heigen <\/div> <\/div>
\"Aloe <\/a>
Aloe dichotoma flowers, Martin Heigen <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Aloe <\/a>
Aloe dichotoma skeleton, Martin Heigen <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Aloe <\/a>
Aloe dichotoma (quiver tree), Northern Cape, South Africa, Martin Heigen <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Photos: All photos on this page are by Martin Heigan.) Introduction Martin Heigan is a South African photographer whose work often highlights desert plants and landscapes. His images are clear, composed, and informative\u2014showing structure, light, and habitat without distraction. The Details Martin\u2019s photographs of the quiver tree, Aloe (Aloidendron) dichotoma, show why this species stands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[29,30,22],"class_list":["post-800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other-topic","tag-africa","tag-aloe","tag-unusual"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/quiver-tree-aloe-dichotoma-martin-heigenc.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6852,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions\/6852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opuntiads.com\/oblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}