Schotia

Schotia afra, habit and flowers.

Schotia is a plant genus of the tribe Detarieae in the subfamily of carob plants ( Caesalpinioideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). They are located only in southern Africa.

• 4.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

The Schotia types are unreinforced, evergreen to ( Schotia brachypetala on cooler sites) deciduous shrubs and trees.

The alternate arranged on the branches leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. At the petioles no glands are present. The paired pinnate leaf blades have four to eight pairs on the rachis against constant opposing leaflets. The leaflets are often dark green and leathery. The small stipules are obsolete.

Inflorescences and flowers

In the spring appear in the lateral or terminal, relatively short, paniculate or racemose inflorescences, the flowers often crowded and sometimes before sprouting of leaves. The hub and shroud leaves are small and feeble; they do not envelop the flower buds.

The hermaphrodite, showy flowers are red. The showy flowers cup ( hypanthium ) is cup-shaped. The four unequal sepals overlap like roof tiles. Only Schotia brachypetala all five petals are present, with the other types of dust thread-like structures are lineal some or all reduced. Of the ten stamens usually change depending on a Short from a Long. The stamens are fused at their base at most. In single carpel some ovules are included. The long, thin style ends in a capitate stigma. The abundant nectar-producing flowers are visited by birds.

Fruit and seeds

The elongated with a length of usually 10 to 15 cm or elliptical, flat legumes are only greenish and slightly tomentose, later at maturity light to dark brown and hard; they contain some seeds. The very hard seeds are encased in a yellow, fleshy aril.

Systematics and distribution

The only four Schotia species occur naturally only south of the Zambezi before, so in southern Africa before.

The first publication of the genus Schotia took place in 1786 by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin in Collectanea, 1, pp. 93 with the generic name Schotia honors Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, the director of the imperial gardens of Schönbrunn was, his head gardener Richard van der Schot, who visited South Africa had. The genus belongs to the tribe Schotia Detarieae in the subfamily of carob plants ( Caesalpinioideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). The three formerly belonging to the genus Schotia species from tropical Africa ( guineo - Congolese ) were in 1968 by André Aubréville in Adansonia, 8, pp. 177-179 in the genus Leonardoxa Aubrév. and 1993 by Jean Joseph Gustave Léonard in Bull Jard. Bot Belg., 62, pp. 433-451 placed in the genus Normandiodendron J.Léonard. The systematics of the genus is difficult, since the distribution areas of species overlap and form hybrids, as well as the species are morphologically quite variable.

The genus Schotia contains only four or five types:

• Schotia afra (L.) Thunb. From this type, there are two valid varieties: Schotia afra (L.) Thunb. var afra: It grows near the coast in southern and eastern Western Cape.
• Schotia afra var angustifolia ( E.Mey. ) Harv. Thrives inland of Namaqualand and Namibia.

Use

Because of their decorative flowers and their modesty regarding water supply and soil quality some species are often used as a street tree and in gardens - planted - even outside their natural range.

Swell

• Schotia brachypetala, Giles Mbambezeli & Alice Notten 2001 Schotia latifolia, Alice Aubrey 2007 plantzafrica. (Section Description, distribution and systematics)
• Entry in the Flora of Zimbabwe.
• R. K. Brummitt, A. C. Chikuni, J. M. Lock & R. M. Polhill: Flora Zambesiaca, Volume 3, 2007: Leguminosae: Online.