Boscia albitrunca
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| Boscia albitrunca | ||||||||||||||
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| Boscia albitrunca (Burch.) Gilg & Ben. |
Boscia albitrunca, commonly called Witgatboom, Matoppie, or Shepherd's Tree, grows up to 10 metres tall but usually much smaller. It is an evergreen tree native to Southern and Tropical Africa, living in the hot, dry, and often brackish low-lying areas, sometimes on abundant lime and occasionally found in rocky terrain. It is common tree of the Bushveld and Lowveld.
This tree has a prominent, sturdy white trunk frequently with strips of rough dark-coloured bark. The crown is often browsed by antelope and all grazers who can reach the foliage, resulting in a conspicuous flattened underside or browse-line. The leaves are narrow, oblanceolate and stiff with veins obscure except for the distinct midrib. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, star-shaped and clustered. The fruits, on a jointed stalk, are about 10mm in diameter and are brittle-skinned with a whitish flesh and large endocarp.
Boscia belongs to the caper family Capparaceae. Pickled capers are made from the unopened buds of European members of this family. Boscia albitrunca is closely related to Boscia foetida subsp. rehmanniana, which has much smaller leaves and vevet-textured fruits. The genus was named for Louis Bosc (1759-1828), a French professor of agriculture who lived through the revolution. The species epithet "albitrunca" refers to the white trunk.
