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Schotia afra [family FABACEAE]

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Flora of Southern Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of South Africa, (2003) Author: Dr J.P. Roux
Names
Schotia afra [family FABACEAE]
Information
Much-branched shrub or small tree up to 7 m high with a somewhat spreading crown; trunk often gnarled. Bark usually rough, brown or greyish-brown; young branchlets glabrous to finely pubescent, some­times festooned with lichens; lateral branch-lets sometimes rigid and ±_ pointed apically. Leaves glabrous to finely pubescent: petiole 2-4 mm long; rhachis 2-8,5 cm long, channel­led above, rarely narrowly winged; leaflets 6 (very rarely fewer) - 18 pairs, usually opposite, sessile, linear or oblong to elliptic or ± ovate, sometimes slightly falcate, 5-17(20) mm long, 1-10 mm wide, often oblique basally, apex obtuse, usually mucro nate, glabrous throughout or finely pubes­cent. Stipules ovate, acuminate, up to 2 mm long, deciduous. Inflorescence a many-flo­wered congested subglobose panicle, borne on short lateral branchlets or, rarely, ter­minal ; branches of inflorescence abbreviated, usually hidden by the flowers, glabrous to finely pubescent. Flowers on pedicels 3-9 mm long; bracts small, scale-like, deciduous. Calyx red, leathery; tube obconical to
Habitat
S. afra occurs chiefly in dry karroid valley bush-veld and scrub and in dry broken country, but it occupies a diverse range of habitats. A very variable species in which two varieties are recognized. A few specimens from the Cape show floral characters intermediate between those of S. afra and S. latifolia and are treated as hybrids. The one group resembles specimens of S. latifolia in general appearance but, unlike this species, has the stamen filaments free to the base (see p. 31), while the other group resembles specimens of S. afra var. afra in general appearance, but has the stamen filaments united basally to a variable extent (see p. 32).
Use
1. Schotia afra (L.) Thunb., [Prodr. PI. Cap. 79 (1794) nomen nudum] Nov. Gen. PI. 9 : 130 (1798), as Scotia; Codd in Bothalia 6,3 : 517 (1956); Palmer & Pitman, Trees S. Afr. 177, t.55 (1961); Von Breitenbach, Indig. Trees S. Afr. 3 : 327 (1965); Palmer & Pitman, Trees S. Afr. 2: 851 (1973). Type: Herb. Linnaeus 532.4 (LINN, lecto.!).
Range
Found in the southern portion of South West Africa and in the Cape Province. Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 1 : 382 (1753), recorded the habitat of Cuajacum afrum, the basionym of S. afra, as Ethiopia, while in Sp. PI. ed.2 : 547 (1762) the habitat was recorded as Ethiopia and China. This is certainly in error.

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Flora of Southern Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of South Africa, (2003) Author: Dr J.P. Roux
Names
Schotia afra [family FABACEAE]
Information
Much-branched shrub or small tree up to 7 m high with a somewhat spreading crown; trunk often gnarled. Bark usually rough, brown or greyish-brown; young branchlets glabrous to finely pubescent, some­times festooned with lichens; lateral branch-lets sometimes rigid and ±_ pointed apically. Leaves glabrous to finely pubescent: petiole 2-4 mm long; rhachis 2-8,5 cm long, channel­led above, rarely narrowly winged; leaflets 6 (very rarely fewer) - 18 pairs, usually opposite, sessile, linear or oblong to elliptic or ± ovate, sometimes slightly falcate, 5-17(20) mm long, 1-10 mm wide, often oblique basally, apex obtuse, usually mucro nate, glabrous throughout or finely pubes­cent. Stipules ovate, acuminate, up to 2 mm long, deciduous. Inflorescence a many-flo­wered congested subglobose panicle, borne on short lateral branchlets or, rarely, ter­minal ; branches of inflorescence abbreviated, usually hidden by the flowers, glabrous to finely pubescent. Flowers on pedicels 3-9 mm long; bracts small, scale-like, deciduous. Calyx red, leathery; tube obconical to
Habitat
S. afra occurs chiefly in dry karroid valley bush-veld and scrub and in dry broken country, but it occupies a diverse range of habitats. A very variable species in which two varieties are recognized. A few specimens from the Cape show floral characters intermediate between those of S. afra and S. latifolia and are treated as hybrids. The one group resembles specimens of S. latifolia in general appearance but, unlike this species, has the stamen filaments free to the base (see p. 31), while the other group resembles specimens of S. afra var. afra in general appearance, but has the stamen filaments united basally to a variable extent (see p. 32).
Use
1. Schotia afra (L.) Thunb., [Prodr. PI. Cap. 79 (1794) nomen nudum] Nov. Gen. PI. 9 : 130 (1798), as Scotia; Codd in Bothalia 6,3 : 517 (1956); Palmer & Pitman, Trees S. Afr. 177, t.55 (1961); Von Breitenbach, Indig. Trees S. Afr. 3 : 327 (1965); Palmer & Pitman, Trees S. Afr. 2: 851 (1973). Type: Herb. Linnaeus 532.4 (LINN, lecto.!).
Range
Found in the southern portion of South West Africa and in the Cape Province. Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 1 : 382 (1753), recorded the habitat of Cuajacum afrum, the basionym of S. afra, as Ethiopia, while in Sp. PI. ed.2 : 547 (1762) the habitat was recorded as Ethiopia and China. This is certainly in error.

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Flora of Southern Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of South Africa, (2003) Author: Dr J.P. Roux
Names
Schotia afra [family FABACEAE]
Information
Much-branched shrub or small tree up to 7 m high with a somewhat spreading crown; trunk often gnarled. Bark usually rough, brown or greyish-brown; young branchlets glabrous to finely pubescent, some­times festooned with lichens; lateral branch-lets sometimes rigid and ±_ pointed apically. Leaves glabrous to finely pubescent: petiole 2-4 mm long; rhachis 2-8,5 cm long, channel­led above, rarely narrowly winged; leaflets 6 (very rarely fewer) - 18 pairs, usually opposite, sessile, linear or oblong to elliptic or ± ovate, sometimes slightly falcate, 5-17(20) mm long, 1-10 mm wide, often oblique basally, apex obtuse, usually mucro nate, glabrous throughout or finely pubes­cent. Stipules ovate, acuminate, up to 2 mm long, deciduous. Inflorescence a many-flo­wered congested subglobose panicle, borne on short lateral branchlets or, rarely, ter­minal ; branches of inflorescence abbreviated, usually hidden by the flowers, glabrous to finely pubescent. Flowers on pedicels 3-9 mm long; bracts small, scale-like, deciduous. Calyx red, leathery; tube obconical to
Habitat
S. afra occurs chiefly in dry karroid valley bush-veld and scrub and in dry broken country, but it occupies a diverse range of habitats. A very variable species in which two varieties are recognized. A few specimens from the Cape show floral characters intermediate between those of S. afra and S. latifolia and are treated as hybrids. The one group resembles specimens of S. latifolia in general appearance but, unlike this species, has the stamen filaments free to the base (see p. 31), while the other group resembles specimens of S. afra var. afra in general appearance, but has the stamen filaments united basally to a variable extent (see p. 32).
Use
1. Schotia afra (L.) Thunb., [Prodr. PI. Cap. 79 (1794) nomen nudum] Nov. Gen. PI. 9 : 130 (1798), as Scotia; Codd in Bothalia 6,3 : 517 (1956); Palmer & Pitman, Trees S. Afr. 177, t.55 (1961); Von Breitenbach, Indig. Trees S. Afr. 3 : 327 (1965); Palmer & Pitman, Trees S. Afr. 2: 851 (1973). Type: Herb. Linnaeus 532.4 (LINN, lecto.!).
Range
Found in the southern portion of South West Africa and in the Cape Province. Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 1 : 382 (1753), recorded the habitat of Cuajacum afrum, the basionym of S. afra, as Ethiopia, while in Sp. PI. ed.2 : 547 (1762) the habitat was recorded as Ethiopia and China. This is certainly in error.
Schotia afra [family FABACEAE]
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