Английская Википедия:Boscia albitrunca
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Italic title Шаблон:Speciesbox
Boscia albitrunca, commonly known as the shepherd tree or shepherd's tree (Шаблон:Lang-af, Шаблон:Lang-st, Шаблон:Lang-tn, Шаблон:Lang-ve, Шаблон:Lang-xh, Шаблон:Lang-zu), is a protected species of South African tree in the caper family.[1] It is known for having the deepest known root structure of any plant at Шаблон:Convert.[2]
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.[3] 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.[4]
Description
This tree grows up to Шаблон:Convert 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 Шаблон:Convert 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 Шаблон:Convert deep, making it the plant with the deepest known roots thus far found.[2]
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.Шаблон:Cn
Gallery
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Specimen with a clear browse line, Limpopo
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Specimen with its canopy infested with red-berry mistletoe, Limpopo
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Flowering during late winter, Limpopo
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Green fruit during spring, Kalahari
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Ripe fruit consumed by a cape starling, early summer, Kgalagadi
References
External links
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