Boscia microphylla
Oliv.
Kaoko shepherds-tree, Slender-leaved shepherds-tree
CapparaceaeFruit
gbif · cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit are eaten.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry sandy places. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 100-150 mm. It can grow in arid places.
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Namibia, Southern Africa,
Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How to Identify
An evergreen shrub or tree. It can lose many leaves during the year. It can grow 8 m high. The twigs can have some spines. The older bark is smooth and red-brown. The leaves are simple and arranged in spirals. They are narrowly oval and dull green. The flowers are green-yellow and small.
References (3)
- 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 5th April 2011]
- Sullivan, S., 1998, People plants and practice in drylands: Socio-political and ecological dimensions of resource-use by Damara farmers in north-west Namibia. Ph.D. Univ. College London. p 27
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
