Stink bush
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Branch with leaves of the stink bush ( Boscia foetida ). |
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| Boscia foetida | ||||||||||||
| Schinz |
The stinking bush , shepherd's tree or stinking shepherd's tree ( Boscia foetida ) is one of the six plant species of about 37 species of the genus Boscia from the family of the caper plants (Capparaceae) that occur in southern Africa , of which it is the only representative not a tree . The generic name Boscia honors the French naturalist Louis Bosc (1759–1828).
Occurrence
The arid areas of Namibia and South Africa , mainly in the Northern Cape Province , are considered to be the main distribution area; The bush is a plant species that is particularly common in the Namib and Kalahari deserts in locations on plains, dry channels and on rocky soil. This plant species is rarer in Botswana and could be threatened by overgrazing ( status LR / nt or NT).
description
The evergreen shrub reaches heights of 2 to 3 meters. It forms small, thick, leather-like, short-stalked leaves that are arranged in screw or tufts on short shoots.
The flowering period extends from August to April; the main flowering period falls from September to October. Because of the smell of faeces developing from the green-yellowish flowers , with which the plant attracts insects to pollinate , Boscia foetida got its name ( Latin foetida = "smelly"). After the closely related actual shepherd's tree ( Boscia albitrunca ), also called Witgatbaum, white trunk, white bark tree or shepherd's tree, it is also called stinking shepherd's tree or stinking Witgatbaum . The small, greenish yellow flowers are four-fold. There are four sepals . Petals are missing. The stamens are fused into a short androphor. Round, hairy berries are formed that are about 10 mm in diameter and turn yellow to light brown when ripe. You can find fruits all year round, but more often from October to March. The berries taste sweet and are eaten by animals and humans.
use
The roots and the brown, round fruits are edible; they are also used by the locals as remedies and magic substances. They call the stink bush ingcotho , umpheme or umphisi lomncane . The leaves work against abdominal pain.
Subspecies
- Boscia foetida Schinz subsp. foetida
- Boscia foetida subsp. longipedicellata (Gilg) Tölken
- Boscia foetida matabelensis
- Boscia foetida minima (height less than 30 cm)
- Boscia foetida subsp. rehmanniana (Pest.) Tölken
Individual evidence
- ↑ Botswana Red Data List ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF, 3.3 MB)
- ↑ Description of this species in the wood atlas of Namibia.
- ↑ Chris Long: Swaziland's Flora. Swaziland National Trust Commission website, December 2005
