Searsia burchellii (sond. ex Engl.) Moffett

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Anacardiaceae > Searsia

Characteristics

Much-branched, evergreen, sometimes thorny, divaricate shrub up to 5 m high. Bark granular, grey-brown; branches and branchlets squarrose, prominently lenticellate. Leaves trifoliolate, petiolate, crowded on spurs; petiole semiterete, canaliculate above, (4-)8(-11) mm long; leaflets sessile, subcoriaceous, concolorous, olive-green, laccate, glabrous, hypostomatous; lamina cuneate, obtriangular to obcordate, base cuneate to attenuate, apex emarginate, mucronulate, rarely paucicrenulate; margin entire; venation kladodromous, midrib slightly prominent above and below, other veins impressed, usually obscure; terminal leaflets (7-)13(-23) x (3-)7(-13) mm, lateral leaflets (5-)10(-16) x (3-)5(-10) mm. Panicles and flowers are similar to that of the previous species, R. longispina. Drupes also similar but slightly more compressed, 3.7 x 2.2-6.3 x 3.7 mm, width/thickness ratio ±1.7 compared to ±1.5 in R. longispina.
More
An evergreen bush. It grows 2.5-5 m tall. It keeps growing from year to year. There can be thorns on the stems. The bark is grey-brown. The branches are somewhat square. The leaves are crowded on spur like branches. The leaves have 3 leaflets. They are dark green and leathery. The flowers are small and star like. They are green to yellow. The fruit are flattened and 5 mm across. They are shiny green and turn red then brown as they ripen.
Tree or shrub, 0.25-5.00 m high; much branched, evergreen, sometimes thorny, divaricate; bark grey-brown, granular; branches and branchlets squarrose, lenticels prominent. Leaves petiolate, trifoliolate; leaflets sessile, subcoriaceous, olive-green, glabrous, obcordate, emarginate, sometimes covered with a shiny resinous exudate. Fruit a drupe, ovoid, slightly flattened, glabrous, shiny, chestnut-brown.
Dioecious, much-branched, evergreen shrub, up to 5 m tall. Leaves trifoliate, crowded on spurs, leaflets sessile, obtriangular to obcordate, olive-green on both surfaces, apex notched. Flowers pale yellow. Drupe ellipsoid, shiny chestnut-brown.
Much-branched shrub, up to 5 m high, shiny and sticky, often spiny. Leaflets sessile; blade obtriangular, apex emarginate, margins entire; terminal leaflet (7-)13(-23) x (3-)7(-13) mm. Flowers: Mar.-Jun. Fruit an ellipsoid, glabrous drupe.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 5.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in places with a marked dry season. It can tolerate frost. It suits hot arid places. In South Africa it grows from 60-2,000 m above sea level. It is in semi-desert. It can tolerate drought. It can grow in arid places.
Light -
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture 6-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The fruit are used in porridges. They are cleaned with the husks removed and milk added then allowed to stand for 4 hours to make a porridge like food. This is eaten in large amounts. The fruit can be dried and eaten.
Uses environmental use food food additive medicinal
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It can be cut back and will regrow.
Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Searsia burchellii world distribution map, present in Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa

Conservation status

Searsia burchellii threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77088406-1
WFO ID wfo-0000510222
COL ID 4W737
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Rhus burchellii Searsia burchellii Toxicodendron burchellii Rhus undulata var. burchellii Rhus undulata var. tricrenata