Schotia afra var. angustifolia

Schotia afra var. angustifolia, the small-leaved Karoo boer-bean is the variety of S. afra that grows in the Northern Cape, in Namaqualand and the extreme south of Namibia near the Gariep River (SA Tree List No. 201.1). In Namibia it is known as Karoo-Burenbohne by the German-speaking citizens. It is a much-branched, deciduous shrub or tree that reaches 5 m.

The inflorescence is a branched head of red flowers that become about 18 mm long. There were none on this tree seen in August, flowering happening in spring. When flowers appear, visits by birds and insects are assured on account of the nectar, wet and sticky on the surrounding grass, always copious in the literature.

The habitat is in or along dry watercourses among scrub and rocks in semi-desert conditions. The variety is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Mannheimer and Curtis, (Eds.), 2009; Coates Palgrave, 2002; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).