 Common Tree: Common Wild Currant
National Tree Number: 392
Botanical name: Rhus pyroides (*)
Other names: Common wild currant, Fire-thorn karree (Eng.); Gewone taaibos (Afr); Motshakhutshakhu (North Sotho); Koditshane (South Sotho); Mogodiri (Tswana); Mutasiri (Venda); inHlokoshiyane (Zulu); Ntlokotshane (Xhosa)
Description:
A variable shrub or small tree up to 7m tall, usually with leafy branches from the ground level and a rounded crown.
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Photograph: PlantZAfrica.com
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Background: The Common wild currant is ecologically important in South Africa. It is found in many habitat and vegetation types, and it plays an important role as a pioneer species (plant species that first colonise and stabilise disturbed areas) in the cycle of plant succession. There are four varieties or sub-types of this tree.
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The bark is rough and grey or dark brown in colour. Young stems are green, often with velvety hairs, and often bearing stout thorns.
The leaves are compound trifoliate (composed of three leaflets). They are borne on slender stalks, which are half as long as the median leaflet, and furrowed above. The leaflets are oval-shaped, narrowing both ends, sometimes with short tip or terminal tip. The central and largest leaflets are up to 7x3cm with a round or a flat tip. They are smooth or velvety above, the lower surface is usually slightly hairy. The midrib and secondary veins are conspicuous and raised below. The flowers are very small and conspicuous greenish yellow in branched bunches in the axils of the leaves and at the end of the branches. The male and female flowers are carried on different plants, between October and January. The round and small fruit is white to brownish when ripe (usually in summer to late autumn). They are borne in large quantities that could bend down branches. The wood is red-brown, cross-grained, tough and elastic.
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Uses:
The wood is often used for implement handles, especially for axes. Also used for fencing poles. An important browsing tree to wild animals and stock.
Distribution:
Widely distributed in South Africa in a variety of habitats, from dry thornveld and open woodland to grassland, hills, river fringes and forest margins.
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Rare Tree: Poison Brides-Bush
National Tree Number: 721
Botanical name: Pavetta schumanniana
Other names: Poison brides-bush (Eng), Gifbruidsbos (Afr), Sawoti (Siswati), Tshituku (Venda), isiMbuzana (isiZulu)
Description:
Shrub or small attractive tree up to 7m in height, but occasionally taller.
The Poison brides-bush is a widespread and common, slow-growing tree which grows in moderate rainfall areas, and does not tolerate frost. The leaves are poisonous to stock (hence its common name), and cause a stock disease called gousiekte. In this form of poisoning small doses of leaves cause heart failure. The white scented flowers are pollinated by moths. The small black fleshy fruits borne between April and June attract animals or birds, which spread the seed. It is suitable as ornamental garden plant in mild and warmer climates, and may require protection in colder areas or additional watering in dry areas.
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Photograph: NBI/The DWAF
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The bark is ligth grey to dark brown and furrowed.
The flowers are white, with a strong sweet scent, and in dense clusters on stalks just below the leaves. They appear between September and February. The fruit is urn-shaped, rather leathery, about 1 to 1.5cm
long, reddish-green to brownish, crowned with persistent
horn-like enlarged calyx lobes.
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The leaves are usually opposite, sometimes in whorls of 3, with interpetiolar stipules (small leaflike outgrowths on the stem between the bases of the leaves of a pair), obovate or egg-shaped, widest beyond the middle, and 60-150 x 20-75mm. They are shiny bright green in colour with few rough hairs above, soft grey hairs below. Tip rounded, margins smooth and the base tapering into a short stalk.
The wood is small, black and spherical fleshy fruits when mature, occurs in dense clusters, and is about 8mm in diameter. The wood is not utilized.
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Uses:
The Poison brides-bush is grown as ornamental garden plant (on limited scale currently). The roots have been reported to be used as a traditional remedy for coldse.
Distribution:
It occurs in open woodland and bush clumps from northern Kwazulu-Natal to the lowveld of the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces, and northwards and eastwards into the neighbouring countries.
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* Note on the New Genus Name: Continuing taxonomic research often results in the re-classification of certain tree species. All Rhus species in South Africa have recently been grouped into the genus Searsia, which means that Rhus pyroides will hence become known as Searsia pyroides.
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