Common Name: Shepherd's Tree

General Information

Boscia albitrunca is a much-branched evergreen tree that produces an abundance of small, sweet-smelling flowers[, ]. It has a dense, rounded crown and grows up to 10 metres tall[].
Dubbed a 'tree of life', it provides a range of food and water for local people[]. The San, for example, seek out its old hollow trunks for the water they hold[]. Many African groups regard this tree so highly they forbid anyone destroying it[]. The plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

Swallowing the seed is said to cause sickness[], though another report says that they are edible[].

Botanical References

Range

Africa - drier areas of S. Africa, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Habitat

In drier woodlands and bush, sometimes on termite mounds[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant for the drier areas of the tropics and subtropics.
Requires a sunny position. Established plants are very drought resistant[].

Edible Uses

The smooth-skinned, cherry-sized fruits are orange-yellow when ripe. They are rather acrid in taste and have slimy flesh, but are nevertheless widely and eagerly eaten[]. Although having a short shelf life, they are easily preserved in the form of a tasty jam or syrup[]. Soaked in water, they produce a sweet drink. Some are also crushed in fresh milk to make a pleasant treat[]. The globose fruits are around 10mm in diameter[].

Seed[]. Another report says that swallowing the kernel when eating the fruit can cause sickness[].

The root is used as a food in times of famine[]. The roots contain a lot of sugar and are often used to make sweet drinks[]. The bark is scraped off, the inner tissues are pounded to separate the coarsest fibres, and the resulting cassava-like pith dried in the sun[]. This white solid is pounded to a powder and boiled with water until it resembles syrup; on cooling and diluting it is ready to drink[].
The young roots are also roasted, ground, and used as a coffee or chicory substitute[, ].

The flower buds may be pickled in vinegar and used like capers[, ].

Medicinal

The roots are said to have medicinal use as an all-purpose medicine[]. Fresh roots are placed in hot ashes and the ill person inhales the smoke from under a blanket[].

Other Uses

Slices of the root are used as a food preservative by placing them in and around the food to protect it from going mouldy[]. This use has been confirmed by modern research which has shown that the root has a strong antifungal action[].

The wood is used to make household utensils[]. It is said to make mortars of outstanding quality that are very resistant to cracking[].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings
Root cuttings

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