Boscia albitrunca, the shepherd’s tree or witgat in Afrikaans, is sometimes also called the tree of life for its services to people and animals that share its domain. The tree grows in many of the arid parts of southern African countries where resources are scarce. In this world it has earned high status for its many uses. People pound the roots for making porridge, beer or a coffee substitute. The yellow or pink edible berries are used in traditional dishes. There are also various medicinal uses for this tree. It is much grazed by livestock and game. Botswana Bushmen manage to extract captured rainwater from the hollow trunks of old trees (Van Wyk and Gericke, 2000; Coates Palgrave, 2002).