Schotia brachypetala stem base and leopard

The trunk of Schotia brachypetala is usually straight, single and erect, sometimes growing branches fairly low down.

The bark is rough and grey, grey-brown or brown. On old boles the bark cracks into variably shaped, hard and persistent, nearly rectangular pieces, here vertically positioned on the stem. The bark is used medicinally relating to heartburn, hangovers and purification of the blood. It also features in tanning and dyeing the fishing nets of some indigenous tribes.

Young branches are usually hairy, the bark still smooth and pale brown. Some small branches in the dense crown tend to hang down. The tree provides a good shade for a rest, depending on who else is lingering there.

The heartwood of S. brachypetala is dark brown to nearly black, hard and fine-textured.

In the Kruger National Park one sometimes has to wait for the public relations leopard to pose by the tree for the photo (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Pooley, 1993; http://pza.sanbi.org).