Rooibos tea
Aspalathus linearis

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A shrub. It grows 2 m high. It can be upright or weeping. The branches have a red tinge. The leaves are needle-shaped and bright green. They turn reddish-brown when processed. The flowers are small and yellow and pea shaped. The fruit are single seeded pods.

It contains no caffeine. Ii is low in tannin.

Where it is found

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It suits cold wet winters and hot dry summers. It grows in areas with a rainfall of 300-350 mm per year. It can tolerate frost. It grows above 500 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are used for tea. They are low tannin and caffeine-free. It can be drunk hot or cold and sweetened or not. It is used as a base for soups, sauces, punch or baked goods.

It is grown commercially in South Africa for tea.

Edible parts

Leaves - tea

How it is grown

The plants are grown from seed. The seed need treatment before they will grow. Seeds are treated with acid then warm water for 12 hours to break the hard seed coat. The seedlings are transplanted into deep, acidic sandy soil.

Plants are topped or rounded after 2 years and first harvests are made after 3 years. Plants can last for 6-18 years. The leaves are gathered in 30-45 cm long branches then carved into 1 cm long pieces, These are crushed in rollers to release the sap. The tea is put in heaps and covered for 8-11 hours to allow it to sweat. It is then spread out to dry and sorted.

Its other names

Local names

Kaffree, Redbush tea, Red tea

Synonyms

Aspalathus contaminata (Thunb.) Druce; Aspalathus corymbosa E. Meyer; Aspalathus cognata Presl.; Aspalathus tenuifolia DC.; Borbonia pinifolia Marloth; Lebeckia linearis (Burm.f.) DC.; Psoralea linearis Burm.f.; and others