Karee

Searsia lancea

Also known as African Sumac, Karee-boom, Wilger-karee, Rhus lancea (older synonym)

At a glance

Family

Anacardiaceae (the cashew and sumac family)

Type

Evergreen tree

Parts used

Bark, leaves, twigs, fruit

Size

6 to 9 meters tall, with a broad, weeping, willow-like crown

Bloom

Small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers in late winter to early spring

Habitat

Dry riverbeds, savanna edges, and rocky or sandy slopes across southern Africa

Acquisition

Grow or buy

This plant in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditionally eases digestive upset

Supports oral hygiene

Traditional skin wash

Shade and windbreak in the garden

Traditional uses

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Long before it was planted as a shade tree along South African streets, the karee was a working tree of the household. Communities across the drier reaches of southern Africa turned to its bark for a warming decoction when the stomach was unsettled, chewed its slender twigs to clean the teeth and freshen the breath, and used washes made from the leaves and bark on troubled skin. Its dense, termite-resistant wood was carved into tool handles and fence posts, and its small tart fruits were fermented into a traditional drink, much the way its northern cousins, the true sumacs, were used for tang and tartness in cooking. It is a tree that earned its keep in every part of daily life, not just as medicine.

How to grow & use it

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Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

✦Remedies & preparations
✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

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Pairs well with

✦Peppermint
✦Ginger
✦Chamomile

Substitutes

✦Sumac (Rhus species)
✦Peppermint for digestive complaints

Choose it when

“For a tree that gives shade with one hand and a long memory of household remedies with the other.”

Did you know?

Karee trees are dioecious, meaning individual trees are either male or female. Only the female trees bear the small reddish-brown fruits, which birds flock to so eagerly that a fruiting karee can feel like its own small aviary.

Safety

Karee is related to poison ivy, mango, and cashew, and its sap or crushed leaves can irritate skin or cause allergic contact dermatitis in sensitive people. Traditional bark preparations were taken only occasionally, not as a regular tonic.