Schotia afra

Schotia afra is a flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Detarioideae. It occurs in Southern Africa. The genus was named for Richard van der Schot by Jacquin who was the director of the Imperial Gardens at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna. Van der Schot was his head gardener.

Description

A shrub or much branched small tree. It grows up to 6 m tall. It has several stout, thick, twisted stems. The leaves are usually dark green. The smooth grey twigs can be seen among the leaves. The leaves divide once. There is a pair of leaflets at the end and the leaflets tend to fold up along the midrib. The midrib is sometimes winged. There are 6-8 pairs of leaflets. They vary from 6-25 mm long. The flowers are red. They occur in bunches on short woody side twigs. The flowers have 5 petals. The pods are 5-13 cm long and 4 cm wide. They are hard and woody. There are several round brown seeds. They are edible.

Edible Uses

The round brown seeds are eaten raw or cooked with the outer bitter skin removed, or ground into flour.

Traditional Uses

The seeds are eaten raw or cooked. The outer bitter skin is removed. Sometimes the seed are ground into flour.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in coastal districts in South Africa. It grows in dry stony soils. It grows between sea level and 1,250 m above sea level. It is tolerant to drought and frost. It can grow in arid places. Brisbane Botanical Gardens. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Where It Grows

Africa, Australia, Britain, Europe, Namibia, North America, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

Trees can be grown from seed. The seeds germinate irregularly. Seedlings transplant easily.

Propagation

Seed - sow in a seed tray in a semi-shady area with about 40% shade. The seeds should sown in well-drained, loamy soil and covered with around 3 - 5mm of soil. Water well once a day. Make sure the seeds are not crowded in the tray (this should prevent damping off). The seeds will swell with moisture and should germinate within 7 days. The seedlings should be allowed to develop a tap root and be in their third set of leaves before they are transplanted into planting bags.

Other Uses

The bark has been used as a source of tannins. The reddish brown wood is hard and durable. It is used for yokes and felloes. The wood is used for fuel.

Notes

There are 4-5 Schotia species. They are in southern Africa. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Karooboerboon, Umgonge, Umgxamu, Umngxam, Umquoqoba

References (17)

• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 370
• Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 215
• Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 598 (As Schotia speciosa)
• ILDIS Legumes of the World http:www:ildis.org/Legume/Web
• Mannheimer, C. A. & Curtis. B.A. (eds), 2009, Le Roux and Muller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia. Windhoek: Macmillan Education Namibia. p 140 (var. angustifolia)

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