Djibouti is the smallest country in the horn of Africa. The country was founded in 1977 and has been the host of several peacekeeping missions.
But the national flower of Djibouti is the Butterball. It is a small white or yellowish-white flower, and is used to make perfume. The Butterball flower is a good source of vitamin C.
This flower in the legume family, with long slender branches and a dense, thorny, branched trunk. It is often used as a hedge. The plant is about 15-20 meters tall and grows in the Djibouti mountains, from the region of Djibouti City to the south. The flowers are usually in spring, but they can be found all year round.
History of the Butterball
The first description of the Butterball was published in a German book from 1910, which also mentions the plant’s use in traditional medicine. In 1954, the botanist Herrmann Schäffler made a first description of the plant. The botanist, who was also an ethnologist, described the plant’s use in traditional medicine and its ethnobotanical importance.
