Xylotheca kraussiana;
African dog-rose; Afrikaanse hondsroos; umBalekani Article by Geoff Nichols
This small
tree deserves to be in every garden in the eastern coastal areas of South
Africa. It is one of our best spring flowering trees on the coast. If its
grown in full sun it'll delight in the early Spring with a whole mass of
white flat single rose-like flowers that are about 50mm in diameter. The flowers
are sweetly scented in the evenings and if the air in your garden is still
the scent will waft in through open doors or windows. The cluster of yellow
stamens in the centre of the flower are reminiscent of a small "fried egg".
The plant has a gardenia look about it and is partially deciduous especially
if it is grown in full sun and not watered during the winter resting months.
Then in the spring the fresh new leaves appear and the flowers follow very
soon after the first flush of leaves.
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Now comes the bonus, the seed capsules are egg-shaped
if you use your imagination a bit, more pointed at either end!! They turn
a orange yellow colour when ripe and resemble little lanterns in the tree.
As the mature capsule splits into five segments it reveals the brownish seeds
covered in a sweet orange flesh that are quite palatable even to humans and
extremely tasty to birds and monkeys who don't miss a capsule in any patch
of coastal forest. African dog-roses grow reasonably fast and I've had my
one in my garden for twenty seven years and it flowered in the fourth year
from seed.
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Wild gardeners are also attracted to the butterflies that use this tree
as a larval host plant. The blood-red acraea (Acraea petraea) uses Xylotheca
kraussiana as its larval food plant. During the summer months your tree
may be partially defoliated by the caterpillars but once again don't try
and spray them with an insecticide leave them be and you'll be treated to
pupating caterpillars everywhere and the pretty red butterflies that emerge
will please even the most hardened of city hearts.
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