Searsia burchellii
Sond. ex Engl.
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Description
An evergreen bush. It grows 2.5-5 m tall. It keeps growing from year to year. There can be thorns on the stems. The bark is grey-brown. The branches are somewhat square. The leaves are crowded on spur like branches. The leaves have 3 leaflets. They are dark green and leathery. The flowers are small and star like. They are green to yellow. The fruit are flattened and 5 mm across. They are shiny green and turn red then brown as they ripen.
Edible Uses
The fruit are cleaned, husks removed, and combined with milk then left to stand for 4 hours to make a porridge-like food that is eaten in large amounts. The fruit can also be dried and eaten.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are used in porridges. They are cleaned with the husks removed and milk added then allowed to stand for 4 hours to make a porridge like food. This is eaten in large amounts. The fruit can be dried and eaten.
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant. It grows in places with a marked dry season. It can tolerate frost. It suits hot arid places. In South Africa it grows from 60-2,000 m above sea level. It is in semi-desert. It can tolerate drought. It can grow in arid places.
Where It Grows
Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa,
Cultivation
It can be cut back and will regrow.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Garra, Kunibos, Taaibos, Tgarra
References (6)
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 77 (As Rhus undulata var. tricrenata)
- Moffett, R. O., 2007, Name changes in the Old World Rhus and recognition of Searsia (Anacardiaceae) Bothalia 37,2: 165-175 (2007)
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 28th March 2011] (As Rhus burchellii)
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 14
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
Show all 6 references Hide references
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
