Searsia tomentosa (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Ornamental

Searsia tomentosa (L.) F.A.Barkley

Protologue: Bothalia 37(2): 173 (2007).

Family: Anacardiaceae

Synonyms

• Rhus tomentosa L.(1753).

Vernacular names

• Wild currant, furry rhus, hairy taaibos (En).
• Sumac (Fr).

Origin and geographic distribution

Searsia tomentosa is found in eastern Zimbabwe and eastern and southern South Africa.

Uses

The wood, bark of roots and branches, and leaves of Searsia tomentosa are collected from the wild and used in tanning. The bark also produces fibre for rough rope. The wood is hard and tough, but it is only used as fuel because the trees are small. The fruits are edible, but of very poor flavour. Searsia tomentosa is an attractive shrub with potential as an ornamental and seed is available from specialist suppliers. It was one of the first Searsia species introduced into botanical gardens.

Properties

The leaves of Searsia tomentosa yield 8% tannin and the twigs 5.7%. The bark is rich in tannic acid.

Description

• Dioecious shrub or small tree up to 5 m tall, much-branched; bark smooth, grey-brown; branches shallowly ridged, densely red-hairy when young, older ones dark green.
• Leaves alternate, 3-foliolate; stipules absent; petiole up to 4 cm long; leaflets lanceolate-elliptical to obovate, 3–9 cm × 1–4 cm, terminal leaflet largest, base broadly tapering, margin entire or in upper part with 1–3 small teeth, leathery, yellowish to whitish hairy below.
• Inflorescence a lax, much-branched, axillary or terminal panicle, male one up to 9 cm long, female one up to 5 cm long.
• Flowers unisexual, regular, 5-merous; pedicel 1–2 mm long; calyx with ovate segments; petals c. 1 mm long; male flowers with 5 stamens; female flowers with superior, globose, 1-celled ovary, styles 3, stigmas headlike.
• Fruit a globose drupe 4–6 mm × 3–4 mm, densely grey-tomentose.

Other botanical information

Searsia comprises approximately 110 species and occurs in southern Europe, Asia and Africa. Southern Africa is by far richest in species. Until recently, most authors did not separate Searsia from Rhus, although the separation has already been proposed at the beginning of the 1940s. Recent phylogenetic research using DNA and gene spacer data confirmed that Searsia is distinct from Rhus sensu stricto, which is limited to the Northern Hemisphere.

Other African Searsia species are used occasionally for dyeing: the bark of Searsia lancea (L.f.) F.A.Barkley gives a brown dye, that of Searsia pendulina (Jacq.) Moffett, more reddish-brown colours. The bark of Searsia undulata (Jacq.) T.S.Yi, A.J.Mill. & J.Wen is a traditional source of tannin in Namaqualand (South Africa) and the root of Searsia ciliata (Licht. ex Roem. & Schult.) A.J.Mill., the wood of Searsia lancea and the bark and wood of Searsia lucida (L.) F.A.Barkley have also been used for tanning. However, these species are more important for their edible fruits and/or timber.

Ecology

Searsia tomentosa grows on rocky mountain slopes and on edges of low bushland vegetation, up to 2500 m altitude.

Genetic resources

Searsia tomentosa does not seem to be in danger of genetic erosion.

Prospects

Most probably Searsia tomentosa will remain important for tanning only very locally. Possibly it will become more important as an ornamental.

Major references

• Coates Palgrave, K., 1983. Trees of southern Africa. 2nd Edition. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa. 959 pp.

• Fernandes, R. & Fernandes, A., 1966. Anacardiaceae. In: Exell, A.W., Fernandes, A. & Wild, H. (Editors). Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 2, part 2. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. pp. 550–615.

• van Wyk, B.E. & Gericke, N., 2000. People’s plants: a guide to useful plants of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Pretoria, South Africa. 351 pp.

Other references

• Moffett, R.O., 1993. Anacardiaceae: Rhus. In: Leistner, O.A. (Editor). Flora of southern Africa. Volume 19, part 3, fascicle 1. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa. 129 pp.

• Palmer, E. & Pitman, N., 1972–1974. Trees of southern Africa, covering all known indigenous species in the Republic of South Africa, South-West Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. 3 volumes. Balkema, Cape Town, South Africa. 2235 pp.

• Schonland, S., 1930. The South African species of Rhus L. Bothalia 3(1): 3–115.

• Watt, J.M. & Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G., 1962. The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa. 2nd Edition. E. and S. Livingstone, London, United Kingdom. 1457 pp.

Author(s)

• P.C.M. Jansen, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Correct citation of this article

Jansen, P.C.M., 2005. Searsia tomentosa (L.) F.A.Barkley. In: Jansen, P.C.M. & Cardon, D. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed 19 December 2024.

• See the Prota4U database.