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Tylosema esculentum

Authority	(Burchell) A. Schreiber
Family
Synonyms	Bauhinia esculenta Burchell.
Common names	braaiboontjie, gami, gemsbok bean, gemsbokboontjie, marama, marama bean, maramaboontjie, marami, morama, morama nut, N!Gham, ombanui, sanveldneut, tamarni, thamani berry, tsi, tsin bean
Editor
Ecocrop code	10626

Notes
Habitat: It is usually found in undulating grass-veld (savanna). Environment: It can grow in regions where few conventional crops can survive and is adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions. Temperature: Temperatures sometimes reach 50°C in its native habitat. Reported temperature range for growth is 16-50°C with the optimum between 22-30°C. Water: It can grow in areas where rainfall is so slight and erratic that in some years almost no rain falls at all. In its habitat surface water is usually available only for 8 weeks a year, though in the fine-grained sandy soils water may remain in the root zone for as long as 2 months after a rainfall. Reported annual rainfall range for growth is 150-800 mm with the optimum between 300-600 mm. The plant probably survives droughts by drawing on water stored in the tuber, which shrinks greatly in dry years. Soil: Physical: In deep, loose, sandy soils the plant sometimes forms characteristic "craters" where the soil is stony. These hollows, sometimes more than 1 m across, are often ringed with stones that appear to have been forced to the surface by the tuber beneath. In some areas, marama bean occurs in scattered stands several kilometres across. Chemical: Soil pH range for growth is estimated to 5.5-7.5 with the optimum between 6-7.
Sources
Grassland Index