Curtisia dentata

Curtisia dentata

Quantity:

Common Names

Assagai Tree (english)
Assegaaiboom (afrikaans)
Musangwe (venda)
uMagunda (zulu)
uMgxina (xhosa)

Taxonomy

Family CURTISIACEAE
Genus Curtisia
Species dentata
SA Plant Number 570
Basionym Curtisia dentata

Description

Curtisia dentata is a medium-sized, hardy, evergreen tree that can grow quite large in moist forested areas. The leathery leaves are glossy dark green above and velvety yellow-green below.

The insignificant flowers are borne in sprays from December to February, followed by round, fleshy white to red fruits that are eaten by birds and game.

Its upright, straight growth form and beautiful fine grained wood has led to extensive harvesting.

Coupled with the fact that it is harvested for many medicinal uses, has led to large specimens of this tree being now extremely scarce.

Plant in a cool spot and water regularly. This makes a great container plant as well as a beautiful specimen tree. Protect against frost when young.

Size 7 to 15m

Wildlife

Uses

Distribution

Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape


Biome:
Forest


Habitat:
Coastal Scrub, Evergreen Forest, Forested Ravines, Grassland, Woodland

+

Admin Notice: