Tree Fuchsia
Halleria lucida
Common names: White olive (Eng.), notsung, witolienhout, witolyfhout (Afr.), umbinza (isiXhosa)
SA Tree No: 670
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Size:
Generally a stocky or shrubby tree that reaches a height of 2-5 m but in protected situations it can reach up to 12 m, and in forests, it can grow up to 20 m in height..
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Bark:
The bark is longitudinally grooved and pale grey and brown in colour..
Leaf:
Glossy bright green foliage on arching and drooping branches. .
Flower:The flowers are tubular, orange to brick-red, or yellow, very rich in nectar and are produced in clusters in the axils of leaves and on short shoots on the old wood, even on the main trunk. When in full flower in autumn to summer (May to December/January) it can be very showy, although the flowers are somewhat hidden amongst the leaves and inside the canopy.
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Fruit:
Clusters of 10 mm diameter spherical green berries that turn juicy and black when ripe, follow the flowers (August onwards).
Growth Habit:
It is fast growing, shrubby, often multi-stemmed, with a spreading crown.
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Habitat:
Found in coastal and karroid scrub, deep evergreen forest, forest margins, forested ravines, rocky mountain slopes, near rivers and on stream banks.
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Wildlife:
The nectar-rich flowers attract sunbirds and other nectar-feeding birds that pollinate the flowers. Bees and other insects are also seen feeding on the flowers. The fruits are eaten by fruit-eating birds, that then disperse the seeds that are in the jelly-like flesh of the fruits.
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Distribution:
From the Cape Peninsula in the south in a strip up the eastern coast of South Africa, through the Eastern Cape to Lesotho, the eastern Free State, KwaZulu-Nataland Swaziland where it turns inland and roughly follows the escarpment into Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the Northern and North West Province. It also occurs in isolated pockets in Zimbabwe.
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Uses:
The Zulu nation has a strong belief in traditional medicine and they use Halleria lucida for skin and ear complaints. Dry leaves are soaked in water and squeezed into the ear to relieve earache.
This tree is also considered to be a charm against evil. The twigs are burnt when offering sacrifices to the ancestral spirits. The plants are set alight each year, the ashes mixed with crocodile fat and this mixture is smeared onto cuttings of Rhamnus prinoides which are then driven into the ground around the village to protect the community from wizardry and lightning.
The wood can also be used to start a fire by friction.
Growing it...
Halleria lucida is easily propagated by seed, and cuttings. It can also be propagated by truncheon cuttings or layering and transplants readily. Young plants may flower for the first time in their second year. Seed is best sown in spring to mid-summer (September to December) or in autumn (March to May), in a standard well-drained seedling mix and covered lightly with coarse sand or milled bark. The trays can be placed over bottom heat of 25 °C although this is not essential for germination to occur. Seed should germinate within 6 weeks. Seedlings can be transplanted as soon as they are large enough to handle. Softwood or herbaceous cuttings, or heel cuttings should be taken from actively growing shoots in spring to early summer (September to November) or in autumn (March to May), treated with a rooting hormone and placed in a propagator with intermittent mist and bottom heat of 28 °C. Rooting should occur within 6 weeks, and the newly rooted cuttings require a weaning period of 1 month.
April Photo's
