About Boscia foetida Schinz
Boscia foetida, commonly called the stink shepherd's tree and smelly shepherd's bush, is an evergreen shrub or tree native to the warmer, drier areas of southern Africa. It grows in semi-desert and arid bushveld, and is commonly found in otherwise sparsely wooded areas in the western part of its range. The species gets its specific epithet foetida from the particularly unpleasant smell of its early spring flowers; freshly cut wood from this plant also carries an unpleasant odor. This plant has traditional medicinal and magical uses, including use as protection against lightning. The village of Mopipi in central Botswana takes its name from this species. Its range extends from Namibia up to the Kunene region, through the Northern Cape, central Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, Transvaal bushveld and lowveld, eastern Eswatini, and KwaZulu-Natal south to the Tugela valley, reaching southernmost Mozambique. It grows mainly on plains within semi-desert or arid bushveld, but can also be found on hillsides, rocky outcrops, termite mounds, and along dry river courses. In the western part of its range it grows on rocky, stony, or gravel substrates, and does not grow on sand unless a rocky underlayer is present.
