Boscia albitrunca
{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{Italic title}}
{{speciesbox
|name = Shepherd tree
|image = Boscia albitrunca, habitus, Steenbokpan, b.jpg
|image_caption =
|image2 = Boscia albitrunca MS 9885.jpg
|genus = Boscia
|species = albitrunca
|authority = (Burch.) Gilg & Ben.
}}
Boscia albitrunca, commonly known as the shepherd tree or shepherd's tree ({{langx|af|Witgat}}, {{langx|st|Mohlôpi}}, {{langx|tn|Motlôpi}}, {{langx|ve|Muvhombwe}}, {{langx|xh|Umgqomogqomo}}, {{langx|zu|Umvithi}}), is a protected species of South African tree in the caper family.{{cite web
|url=http://www2.dwaf.gov.za/dwaf/cmsdocs/4116___poster%20protected%20trees.pdf
|title=Protected Trees
|date=3 May 2013
|publisher=Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705085122/http://www2.dwaf.gov.za/dwaf/cmsdocs/4116___poster%20protected%20trees.pdf
|archive-date=2010-07-05
}} It is known for having the deepest known root structure of any plant at: -{{convert|68|m|abbr=}}.
The species epithet "albitrunca" refers to the white trunk it oftentimes develops. Traditionally, the shepherd tree was used by Dutch settlers, boers, to create a variant of coffee from the roots of the tree.{{Cite web |title=Boscia albitrunca {{!}} PlantZAfrica |url=https://pza.sanbi.org/boscia-albitrunca |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=pza.sanbi.org}} It is an evergreen tree native to southern and tropical Africa, living in the hot, dry, and often seasonally brackish low-lying areas, sometimes on abundant lime or occasionally on rocky terrain. It is a common tree of the Kalahari, bushveld and lowveld. It is one of the most important animal forage trees in the Kalahari.{{cite journal |last1=Havenga |first1=C. J. |last2=van Niekerk |first2=W. A. |last3=Rethman |first3=N. F. G. |last4=Coertze |first4=R. J. |title=Certain qualitative characteristics of Boscia foetida at different sites in South Africa |journal=South African Journal of Animal Science |date=2004 |issue=34 |pages=62–64 |url=http://www.sasas.co.za/sites/sasas.co.za/files/havengagoat04_0.pdf |access-date=18 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816040238/http://www.sasas.co.za/sites/sasas.co.za/files/havengagoat04_0.pdf |archive-date=16 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}
Description
This tree grows up to {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} tall but is usually much smaller. It has a prominent, sturdy white trunk frequently with strips of rough, dark-coloured bark. The crown is often browsed by antelope and any grazers capable of reaching 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, lacking petals, starburst-shaped, and clustered. The fruits, on a jointed stalk, are about {{convert|10|mm|1|abbr=on}} in diameter and are brittle-skinned with a whitish flesh and large endocarp. A specimen found in the central Kalahari in 1974 had roots extending to {{convert|68|m|abbr=on}} deep, making it the plant with the deepest known roots thus far found.{{cite journal |last=Canadell |first=J. |author2=R. B. Jackson |author3=J. B. Ehleringer |author4=H. A. Mooney |author5=O. E. Sala |author6=E.-D. Schulze |date=18 July 1996 |title=Maximum rooting depth of vegetation types at the global scale |journal=Oecologia |volume=108 |issue=4 |pages=583–595 |doi=10.1007/BF00329030 |pmid=28307789 |s2cid=2092130}}{{additional citation needed|date=December 2024}}
Relationships
Boscia belongs to the caper family, Capparaceae. Boscia albitrunca is closely related to Boscia foetida subsp. rehmanniana, the bushveld shepherd's tree, which has much smaller leaves and velvet-textured skin on its fruits. The genus was named for Louis Bosc (1759–1828), a French professor of agriculture who lived through the French Revolution.{{cn|date=February 2023}}
Gallery
Boscia albitrunca10.jpg|Specimen with a clear browse line, Limpopo
Boscia albitrunca, habitus, naby Marnitz, a.jpg|Specimen with its canopy infested with red-berry mistletoe, Limpopo
Boscia albitrunca00.jpg|Flowering during late winter, Limpopo
Boscia albitrunca07.jpg|Green fruit during spring, Kalahari
Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis nitens) eating a fruit of a Shepherd's Tree (Boscia albitrunca) (45181194105).jpg|Ripe fruit consumed by a cape starling, early summer, Kgalagadi
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite web |title=Boscia albitrunca|work=PlantZAfrica.com|url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/bosciaalbi.htm|access-date=2010-03-04}}
External links
- {{AfricanPlants|Boscia albitrunca}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3643502}}