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Botanical name |
Catha edulis |
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Other names |
Bushman's tea; khat; boesmanstee (Afrikaans) |
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Family |
Celastraceae |
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Dimensions |
Small deciduous tree with drooping branches, up to 12 m in height; sometimes a shrub |
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Description of stem |
Bark grey, smooth and often reddish on younger branches, coarse and cracked in a characteristic grid pattern on mature specimens |
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Description of leaves |
Opposite on mature branches, alternate on young ones; oblong, leathery, bright green and shiny on upper surface, paler green below; net-veining conspicuous, especially on the lower surface; margin serrated or toothed with a gland per tooth; tapering apex and base; petiole about 1 cm; stipules sometimes present; petioles short and pink; leaves become yellow in autumn |
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Description of flowers |
Very small white to yellow flowers in abundant axillary clusters; they are green inside |
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Desciption of seed/fruit |
Three-lobed capsule of 1 cm that turns reddish brown as it ripens, mostly dehiscent; seeds winged |
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Description of roots |
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Variation |
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Propagation and cultivation |
Popular as an attractive garden tree; grown from seed, truncheons or root cuttings; it is sometimes cultivated as a container, even a house-plant |
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Tolerances |
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Uses |
Wood used in house-building and furniture; the leaves provide a widely used flu and cough remedy, also for general chest complaints or respiratory diseases; in the Middle East known as the source of a commonly used drug (khat); www.geocities.com says that 80% of adults in Yemen use khat as a drug; it is exported to the USA (for one) on a large scale; the plant contains the recognised drug, cathinone |
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Ecological rarity |
Common and widespread |
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Pests and diseases |
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Other |
Catha' = a derivation from the Arabic common name of this tree; edulis = edible (Greek); khat is dangerous in various ways to the health of children, older people over 55 and regular users; the ancient Egyptians may have believed that it gives access to divinity |
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Location |
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Distribution (SA provinces) |
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Country |
South Africa; Swaziland; Mozambique; Zimbabwe; Zambia; East and North Africa; southern Arabia and Yemen; it may have originated in Ethiopia and/or Yemen |