Botanical name |
Psydrax livida |
Other names |
Canthium huillense; green-twigs quar; groenboom; groenkwar (Afrikaans) |
Family |
Rubiaceae |
Dimensions |
Deciduous or evergreen shrub or small tree, occasionally up to 6 m in height |
Description of stem |
Smooth, light grey; small branches green; branches opposite, spreading sideways at same level |
Description of leaves |
Opposite, bright green above, dull below, sometimes hairy, especially along the four or five veins, mildly undulating; net-veining conspicuous, light-coloured, raised on lower surface; margin entire;ovate; apex tapering, base rounded |
Description of flowers |
Creamy to yellow, green edges to petals; occur in axillary clusters in summer, exude an unpleasant odour |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
Hard brown oblong seed appearing during autumn |
Description of roots |
|
Variation |
Sometimes evergreen |
Propagation and cultivation |
|
Tolerances |
|
Uses |
Browsed by livestock; ornaments made from the wood |
Ecological rarity |
Common |
Pests and diseases |
|
Other |
The Psydrax genus is closely related to the Canthium genus, within which this tree was previous classified |
Location |
Bushveld, rocky woodland, riverine thickets |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
North West; Gauteng; Mpumalanga; Limpopo |
Country |
South Africa; Namibia; Botswana; Zimbabwe; Zambia; Mozambique; Zambia; Kenya; Angola |
|
Coates Palgrave, 2002 |