Africa Wild

433. Jacket Plum Pappea capensis (Doppruim)
Order: Sapindales. Family: Sapindaceae








Pilanesberg

Description
The jacket plum is a long-lived, hardy, evergreen, small to medium tree with a height of 2-8 m.
Bark of young branches is smooth and pale grey and may be broken into small blocks. The bark of older trees and branches is darker and rougher, with irregular pale and dark patches. The leaves are simple and oblong, hard-textured and wavy. The leaf margin may vary from sharply toothed (especially in young growth) to almost smooth in mature growth. Leaves vary in size, depending on the rainfall. They are dark olive-green above and pale below, with a conspicuous yellow central vein that is visible from both sides (25 x 100 – 80 x 160 mm). Small, pale yellowy-green, scented flowers grow in spikes between the leaves (Oct – Mar) (Spike: 25 – 160 mm). The fruit grows in bunches. Black seeds are contained in the red flesh. Dark shells of the fruit may be found on the ground, long after the fruit has dropped (Dec – Jul) (20 mm).

Distribution
Pappea capensis is widespread in southern Africa from the Northern Cape through the drier Karoo, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, to the northern provinces, as well as Mozambique, Zimbabwe and northwards into eastern and southern tropical Africa.

Habitat
It naturally occurs in bushveld, riverine thicket, wooded grassland and rocky outcrops in grassland as well as scrub veld and is often found on termite mounds.

Links: Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Braam Van Wyk, Piet Van Wyk

362. Life-long Lannea discolor (Dikbak)
Order: Sapindales. Family: Anacardiaceae






Marakele National Park

Description
Small to medium-sized deciduous tree with a neat round crown, that grows up to 15 m (usually 3 to 8 m) in height with a neat rounded crown. The bark is dark grey, roughish and cracking into small blocks which peel off, underbark red. Leaves clustered on branch tips, compound with up to 5 pairs of leaflets and a terminal leaflet. Leaves markedly discolorous, the upper surface dark green, the lower grey with dense felty hairs. The flowers are small, cream-coloured to yellow, sweetly scented. Flowers borne when the trees are leafless. Fruit are green when young, ovoid and compressed. The ripe fruits are reddish to purple berries and approximately 10 mm x 9 mm.

Distribution
Widely distributed in the southern African region where it is found in South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West), Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Mozambique.

Habitat
It usually occurs on granite rhyolite in sandveld areas, often on rocky ridges and steep slopes in bushveld.

Links: Namibia Tree Atlas; Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Ernst Schmidt, Mervyn Lotter, Warren McCleland

385.2 Dune Currant, Dune Currant-rhus Searsia laevigata, Rhus laevigata (Duinetaaibos, Koerentebos)
Order: Sapindales. Family: Anacardiaceae

© arks

© arks
Cape peninsula, along the Kommetjie seaside boardwalk

Description
Much-branched, multi-stemmed, deciduous to evergreen shrub or small, bushy, spreading tree, up to 4 m tall. Branchlets have brown spots (lenticels). Bark is smooth, grey-brown. Leaflets are widely egg-shaped to elliptic, but the colour and texture are highly variable; they are sharp-tipped with the base narrowly tapering; parallel veins loop at the margins and net-veining is translucent and easy to see; leaf-stems are long, to 30 mm, sometimes red, the colour merging into lower veins; margins are smooth and rolled under. Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, from Octpber to April (sprays: 65 mm). Fruit 4 – 5 mm diameter, hairless, round, dull yellow turning reddish to brown, from January to July.

Distribution
South African endemic to the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape, from north of Springbok round to south-west of East London.

Habitat
It occurs in karroid areas, fynbos and coastal shrub.

Links: Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Braam Van Wyk, Piet Van Wyk

371. Drooping Resin Tree Ozoroa engleri
Order: Sapindales. Family: Anacardiaceae

© Richprins

© Richprins
Marloth Park

Description
Shrub or tree to 8 m.
Main stem: branchlets brown with some lenticels; bark grey, rough and thick.
Leaves: alternate or in loose clusters of three; elliptic to lanceolate (10-160 x 10-40 mm); apex and base tapering; leaf arched back and folded in; margin entire or minutely scalloped; bi-coloured; secondary venation indistinct (cannot be felt with the finders); hairless above, velvety below; petiole 10-35 mm.
Flowers: in flower heads at the ends of branches and in the upper leaf axils; cream; ± 2.5 mm long (Oct-Feb).
Fruit bean-shaped fleshy drupe; black when mature; ±10 mm in diam.(Feb-June).


Distribution
Limpopo and Mpumalanga Lowveld southwards along the Lebombo Mountains through eastern eSwatini to the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastal plain. It also occurs in southern Mozambique.

Habitat
Open bushveld, on sandy or rocky soils.