Schotia brachypetala is a handsome, medium to large tree with a wide-spreading, densely branched, rounded crown. It has a single trunk that sometimes branches low down. Trees can reach a height of 22 m, but most commonly grow 11 to 16 m with a spread of 10 to 15 m. The bark is rough and brown or grey brown. The leaves are compound, with 4 to 6 pairs of leaflets, each with an entire, wavy margin. The foliage is reddish to coppery when young, turning bright green and maturing to a glossy dark green. In warm frost-free areas this tree is evergreen, but in colder regions it is deciduous, losing its leaves for a short period in winter to spring.

The flowers are rich deep red, and are produced in masses, in dense branched heads on the old wood during spring (Aug.-Nov.). The flowering time is somewhat irregular in that a tree in bloom may be a few metres away from one that has no sign of flowers. This irregularity is of value to the nectar feeding birds, and ensures a longer feeding season.

The fruit is a hard, flattened, woody, dark brown pod containing flattened, pale brown approx. 20 mm diameter seeds with a conspicuous yellow aril. The pods split on the tree, maturing during late summer to autumn (Feb.-May).

Schotia brachypetala occurs in warm dry areas in bushveld, deciduous woodland and scrub forest most often on the banks of rivers and streams or on old termite mounds at lower altitudes from around Umtata in the Eastern Cape, through KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mpumalanga, Northern Province and into Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The genus Schotia was named by Jacquin, after his friend and travelling companion, Richard van der Schot, who visited South Africa in the 18th century. The specific name brachypetala means 'having short petals' in Greek and refers to the flowers which are unique among Schotia species in that the petals are partly or completely reduced to linear filaments. The beauty of the flowers is in the brightly coloured calyces (sepals), stamens and pedicels (flower stalks). The flowers produce copious amounts of nectar, which over-flows and drips or 'weeps' from the flowers and may be the origin of the common name, the weeping boer-bean, or huilboerboon in Afrikaans. The name could also be derived from the spittle bug, Ptyelus grossus, a small insect that parasitises Schotia brachypetala, sucking up the sap which it then excretes as froth that collect and drips down the branches, but as it also parasitises other trees, the dripping nectar is the more likely, and attractive, origin. The boerboon / boer-bean (farmer's bean) part of the name was earned by all the species of Schotia, because of their edible seeds, and their resemblance to the original boerboon, Vicia faba, the domestic broadbean.

Schotia is a small genus endemic to southern Africa which proved itself difficult to classify, as the members are variable and hybridise with each other where their ranges overlap. A revision of the genus undertaken by Dr. L.E. Codd in 1956 reduced the 15 described species to four. All four species are restricted to Africa south of the Zambezi River. The other three species are as follows:

• Schotia afra, the Karoo boer-bean or Karooboerboon which has two distinct varieties Schotia afra var. afra which occurs in the coastal districts of the southern and eastern Cape, and Schotia afra var. angustifolia which occurs inland in Namaqualand and Namibia
• Schotia capitata, the dwarf boer-bean or kleinboerboon which occurs along the coast from KwaZulu-Natal, through Swaziland and into Mozambique
• Schotia latifolia the bush boer-bean or bosboerboon which occurs from Riversdale in the Western Cape to near Umtata in the Eastern Cape and in Mpumalanga.

Growing Schotia brachypetala

Schotia brachypetala grows easily, transplants well and blooms whilst still relatively young. On heavy soils in colder climates it can be quite slow, but in warm, frost-free areas in deep sandy soil with plenty of water in summer, it is surprisingly fast, and has been known to reach a height of 12 m in 17 years. For best results, plant in a warm sunny position, in deep, well-aerated sandy soil, add plenty of well-decomposed compost (humus) and water liberally in summer. A general purpose granular fertiliser can be used during the growing season. It is half-hardy to frost, and young plants require protection, but a well-established tree in a protected spot, should be able to withstand a winter minimum of down to -5C (23F).

Propagation is by seed or truncheon cuttings. Schotia brachypetala grows easily from seed, which should be sown in spring to early summer, in a well-drained general-purpose potting soil, placed in a warm but shaded spot and kept moist. Soaking the seed overnight in warm (not hot) water is not necessary for germination to occur, but should hurry things along. Dusting the seed prior to sowing, or drenching after sowing, with a fungicide that combats pre-emergence damping off, although not essential, will increase the percentage germination. Truncheon cuttings can be taken in winter to early spring while the tree is not in active growth, and should placed in well-drained sandy soil in a cool shady spot and kept damp but not wet.

Schotia brachypetala with its decorative foliage, showy flowers and symmetric shapely habit is an excellent tree for gardens and parks, but it is not advisable to plant it over paved areas, car parks etc, because of the dripping nectar in the spring. It nevertheless makes a good shade tree and although it looks good in a large landscape or standing alone as a specimen tree, it is also suitable for smaller gardens.

Schotia brachypetala attracts a wide variety of birds, animals and insects and is a noisy, hive of activity while in flower. Nectar-feeding birds, particularly sunbirds, bees and insects feed on the nectar. Insect-eating birds feed on the insects attracted by the flowers. Starlings, monkeys and baboons eat the flowers, monkeys eat the seeds, birds eat the aril on the seeds and the leaves are browsed by game and black rhino also eat the bark. The latter visitors of course are only expected in game reserves.

Not only is Schotia brachypetala an exceptional ornamental tree, it also has a number of other uses: A decoction of the bark is taken to treat heartburn and hangovers. Bark and root mixtures are used to strengthen the body and purify the blood, to treat nervous heart conditions and diarrhoea, as well as for facial saunas. The seeds are edible after roasting, and although low in fat and protein they have a high carbohydrate content. Both the Bantu-speaking people and the early European settlers and farmers are said to have roasted the mature pods and eaten the seeds, a practice which they learned from the Khoikhoi. The bark can be used for dyeing, giving a red-brown or red colour. The timber is of good quality, suitable for furniture making. The sapwood is pinkish-grey and not durable unless treated. The heartwood is a dark walnut, almost black, hard, fairly heavy and termite resistant with a dense fine texture and has been much used for furniture and flooring blocks. It is also said to be excellent for all kinds of wagon wood and was chiefly in demand for wagon beams.

References:

• Germishuizen, G., Meyer, N.L., Steenkamp, Y. & Keith, M. (eds) 2006. A Checklist of South African plants. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 41. SABONET, Pretoria.
• Coates Palgrave, Keith, 1977, Trees of Southern Africa, C. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, Johannesburg
• de Winter, B, de Winter, M. and Killick, D.J.B., 1966, Sixty-Six Transvaal Trees, Botanical Research Institute, Dept. of Agricultural Technical Services
• Palmer, E. and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa, Volume 2, A.A. Balkema, Cape Town
• Phillips, E.P. (ed.), 1940, The Flowering Plants of South Africa. Volume 20, Plate 777, J.L. van Schaik Ltd., Pretoria.
• Pooley, E., 1993, The Complete Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei, Natal Flora Publications Trust, Durban
• Smith, C.A., 1699, Common Names of South African Plants, Dept. of Agricultural Technical Services, Botanical Survey Memoir No 35, Government Printer.
• van Wyk, B.E., Gericke, N., 2000, People's Plants, Briza Publications, Pretoria

Giles Mbambezeli & Alice Notten
Kirstenbosch NBG
August 2001