Combretum mossambicensis

Common Names

Knobbly combretum (english)
Knoppiesklimop (afrikaans)
motsoketsane (tswana)
gopo-gopo (venda)

• 
• 

Taxonomy

Family COMBRETACEAE
Genus Combretum
Species mossambicensis
SA Plant Number 545.1
Basionym Combretum mossambicensis

Description

Combretum mossambicensis is a hardy, deciduous, drought-resistant, scrambling shrub or climber with greyish-brown bark and long, trailing stems that will climb if they have something to lean on.The dull-green leaves have a twisted tip.

It bears fluffy, pink to white flowers from September to November.when the plant only has tiny new leaves.This makes it particularly attractive. The flowers are followed by pinkish, papery-winged seeds.

The flowers attract many insects and thus insect-eating birds.The larvae of the Striped Policeman and Guinea-fowl butterflies feed on the leaves.An attractive shrub for larger gardens.

Prune back heavily to keep in shape and stop its climbing tendencies. As a climber, it can be trained over a pergola to provide shade. With a little effort, it can be pruned into an attractive standard. Plant in sun or semi-shade in well-drained, compost-rich soil and mulch well.

Size: will climb up to 5m

Wildlife

Uses

Distribution

Mpumalanga, Limpopo

External Links

View On Google Images
Search On IPNI