Restricted plant view
Schotia brachypetala Sond.
| Schotia brachypetala is a medium to large deciduous tree with a wide spreading, densely branched, rounded crown. Trees usually grow up to 16 metres high with a spread of 10 to 15 metres. The bark is rough, hard and brown or grey brown. The leaves are compound, divided into 4 to 6 pairs of small, glossy green leaflets, each about 30 mm long with an entire, wavy margin and distinctly asymmetric base. The foliage is reddish to coppery when young, turning bright green and maturing to a glossy dark green. Large clusters of dark red waxy flowers are produced in dense branched heads on the old wood during spring. The flowers produce copious amounts of nectar, which continuously overflows and drips. The fruit is a large, hard, flattened, woody, dark brown pod containing flattened, pale brown, large seeds with a conspicuous yellow aril and a characteristic persistent rim.The pods split on the tree, maturing during late summer to autumn. |
Reference: 1 South African National Biodiversity Institute. (2007). Schotia brachypetala Sond. |