Useful Plants Project - Botswana

Preparing baskets for seed and plant collecting

Preparing baskets for the useful plants (Photo: T Ulian)

A lady from the community in Botswana with Watermelons

A lady from the community in Botswana with Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus)(Photo: T Ulian)

Kigelia africana, the sausage tree

Traditional remedies prepared from crushed, dried or fresh fruits are used to deal with ulcers, sores and syphilis - the fruit has antibacterial activity. (Photo: T Ulian)

Fruit of the sausage tree

Fruit of Kigelia africana which look like giant sausages (Photo: T Ulian)

The Real fan palm (Hyphaene petersiana)

The very hard nuts of this tree are known as 'vegetable ivory' and can be carved. (Photo: T Ulian)

A school expedition to collect plants

Plants collected during a school expedition (Photo: T Ulian)

School girl and traditional healer

School girl and traditional healer identifying plant species together using books (Photo: M. Sacande, RBG Kew)

Planting with the community

Local people planting (Photo: T Ulian)

Community equipment store in Tsetseng

Tsetseng lady posing in front of the community's garden equipment store hut holding Kalahari melons (Citrullus lunatus), an important source of water and food in the Kalahari during dry months (Photo: M. Sacande, RBG Kew)