Smelly boscia, Smelly shepherd's tree
A tropical plant. It grows in arid areas and on sand dunes. It grows in areas with a rainfall of about 50 mm. It grows between 50-1,400 m above sea level. It can grow in desert places. It is drought tolerant. It can grow in arid places. It is often on termite mounds.
Also known as:
Ingcotho, Noeniebos, Stinkbos, Umpheme, Umphisi lomncane, Xaube hunis
Synonyms
- Boscia filipes Gilg.
- Boscia kalachariensis Pestal
- Boscia longipedicellata Gilg.
- Boscia rehmanniana Pestal
- Capparis alnitrunca var. parvifolia T.R.Sim
Edible Portion
- Root, Fruit, Flowers
Where does Smelly boscia grow?
Found in: Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe
Notes: There are 37 Boscia species.
Status: The fruit are eaten especially by children.
Growing Smelly boscia, Smelly shepherd's tree
Cultivation: Trees can be grown from seed. They can also be grown by layering branches. This occurs naturally in areas with higher rainfall. Plants can be cut back and will re-grow.
Edible Uses: The fruit are eaten raw. The root is occasionally used as a chicory substitute for coffee like drinks. They are roasted for this. The roots are pounded and also used in porridge.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | - | - | - | - | - | - |
References
Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 144
Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 79
Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
Malan & Owen-Smith, 1974,
Mannheimer, C. A. & Curtis. B.A. (eds), 2009, Le Roux and Muller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia. Windhoek: Macmillan Education Namibia. p 60
Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 187
Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 1. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town p 627
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 75
Plowes, N. J. & Taylor, F. W., 1997, The Processing of Indigenous Fruits and other Wildfoods of Southern Africa. in Smartt, L. & Haq. (Eds) Domestication, Production and Utilization of New Crops. ICUC p 186
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] (Also as subspecies rehmanniana)
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 42
Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
Van Damme, P et al, 1922, Plant Uses by the Topnaar of the Kuiseb Valley Namib Desert. Afrika Focus Vol. 8(3-4):223-252
van Wyk, B, van Wyk, P, and van Wyk B., 2000, Photographic guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Briza. p 67
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew