Karoo boer-bean Tree – 5 Seeds
(Schotia afra)
R30.00
The Karoo boer-bean seeds are edible either green or mature. They can be used as a meal if roasted and ground.
Common names: Karoo boer-bean (Eng.), Karoohuilboerboon (Afr.).
In stock
🌳 Tree Quick Facts
Uses
- ⓘ Plant Use: Culinary, Fodder, Tannins
Tree Info
- 🌲 Tree Features: Flowering, Fruiting (Edible)
- 🌿 Foliage Type: Evergreen
- 📏 Mature Height: 3-4m
- 🌸 Flower Color: Red
Culinary Info
- 🍽️ Culinary Use: Baked/Roasted, Boiled / Steamed, Coffee Substitute, Raw Eating
- 🥗 Edible Part: Pod, Seed
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Nutty
Growth Traits
- 🌱 Life Cycle: Perennial
- 🌾 Plant Type: Tree
- 🔁 Fruiting Needs: Needs Only 1 Plant
- 🪴 Growth Habit: Bushy, Upright
Growing Requirements
- 🌞 Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Shade
- 💧 Water Needs: Moderate Water, Water Deeply
- ☀️ Growing Conditions: Cold Tolerant, Drought Tolerant, Frost Tolerant, Heat Tolerant
- 🟤 Soil Preference: Loam, pH 6.5-8.5, Sandy, Tolerant of most soils, Well-Drained
Karoo boer-bean Tree (Schotia afra var. afra) often occur along the banks of dry streams and small rivers in the Little Karoo, the drier areas of Eastern Cape and the southern part of Western Cape.This tree can be used as a shade and ornamental tree and has culinary uses.
It is a small evergreen tree, with rigid branches and a gnarled trunk. It grows to a max. height of 5 m. The flowers are numerous, bright red to pink in color, and are borne in small clusters during the months of February and March. They are distributed throughout the tree. The tree is not messy and does not have a destructive root system.
Common names: Karoo boer-bean (Eng.), Karoohuilboerboon (Afr.).
Culinary Uses
- Roasted/Ground Seed Meal: Historically, early settlers and indigenous people (Khoikhoi) roasted and pounded the seeds to use as a meal.
- Coffee Substitute: Roasted, ground seeds have been used as a substitute for coffee.
- Boiled: Mature seeds can be boiled to remove astringency and eaten.
- Raw/Roasted Snack: Seeds can be roasted or boiled for a direct snack.
Edible Parts
- Seeds: The primary edible part, the seeds are edible whether green (immature) or ripe/mature. They have a fleshy yellow aril (covering).
- Pods: Young pods can be roasted, during which the seeds are effectively steamed inside.
Other Uses
- Tannin: The bark, when ground and soaked in water, produces a tannin used to treat leather.
- Fodder: The leaves are browsed by livestock.
Growing Karoo boer-bean Tree
Indoor Sowing: Late Spring.
Direct Sowing: Late Spring.
- Sow the seeds in late spring, September until mid-October.
- Seeds should sown in flat seed trays filled with well-drained, loamy soil.
- Sow the seeds about 3-5mm deep. Place the seed trays in a semi-shady area.
- Water well once a day. The seeds will swell with moisture and should germinate within 7 days.
- The seedlings should be allowed to develop a tap root and be in their third set of leaves before they are transplanted into planting bags.
- If they are given enough water and are planted in a rich, well-drained soil, they will develop rapidly.
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