''Searsia lancea'' commonly known as karee (archaicly karree), is an evergreen, frost hardy, drought resistant tree, which can reach up to 8 metres in height with a 5-metre spread. In North America, where it is naturalized, it is known as African sumac and willow rhus. It is one of the most common trees on the Highveld and in the Bushveld in South Africa, but not found in the

Lowveld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswa ...

Common names

''S. lancea'' bares many names by locals in South Africa. By far the most common name for this tree is ''karee'' which derives from the Khoemana word ''!xareb'' (Compare Khoekhoegowab cognate '', garas''). This is mostly used by speakers of Afrikaans. Another Afrikaans name names known is ''Rosyntjiebos'' from ''rosyn ( raisin) '' and ''bos (

bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

)''. In the

Sotho–Tswana languages Sotho–Tswana languages are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in Southern Africa. The Sotho–Tswana group corresponds to the S.30 label in Guthrie's 1967–71 classification of languages in the Bantu family. The various dial ...

, the names ''mosilabele'' in

Southern Sotho Sotho () or Sesotho () or Southern Sotho is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho–Tswana ("S.30") group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language; South Africa (particularly the Free Sta ...

, ''mokalabata'' in Northern Sotho and ''mosabele'' in Tswana are cognates. In Khelobedu, the names is and ''mushakaladza'' in Venda. Among

Nguni languages The Nguni languages are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in southern Africa by the Nguni peoples. Nguni languages include Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele (sometimes referred to as "Northern Ndebele"), and Swazi. The appellation "Nguni" d ...

the name ''umhlakotshane'' in Zulu and Xhosa is used and in Swati the name given is ''inhlangutshane''

Description and uses

The tree is

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

. It has a graceful, weeping form and dark, fissured bark that contrasts well with its long, thinnish, hairless, dark-green, trifoliate leaves with smooth margins. It bears small yellow flowers followed on female trees by bunches of small yellow-green flattish fruits, which are relished by birds. In earlier times the fruits were pounded, water added and left to ferment, producing an evidently refreshing beer. The tree is a good shade tree for gardens, parks and pavements. It favours areas rich in lime in the

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...

and Namibia.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15525290, from2=Q3643968 lancea Trees of South Africa Flora of Namibia Garden plants of Southern Africa Drought-tolerant trees Ornamental trees