Plant indigenous trees – The African Dog Rose.
Lindsay Gray on behalf of Hillcrest Conservancy will produce weekly articles regarding the various indigenous small trees that you can plant in your garden.
THIS week, we will discuss The African Dog Rose.
The African Dog Rose is a multi-stemmed shrub that is suited to large and small gardens.
In a large garden this shrub would fit beautifully into a grouping of either shrubs of a similar size, but in a small garden it would serve well as a small tree to create some shade.
One of mine has just come into flower which prompted me to remind our readers about this gem of a plant.
Xylotheca kraussiana is its botanical name.
In Afrikaans it is called Afrikaanse hondsroos, Umbalekani in Zulu and Umdubu in Xhosa.
Xylotheca kraussiana is a multi-stemmed shrub with a light branch structure that can grow as tall as three metres and at least 2.5 metres wide (more in the wild) with the prettiest white flowers that sport a large, yellow yolk-like centre of anthers that attract a host of insects to the plant.
The shrub flowers from mid-spring through to summer and the brilliant white flowers are followed by a green, woody capsule that splits into sections, revealing red-black seeds that the birds such as the barbet, mousebird, bulbuls, glossy starlings and toracos, enjoy.
The flowers can be male or bisexual.
In my own garden, I have noted distinct differences in the flowers on two separate plants, the first a robust flower with broad petals and the second one is a more delicate flower with petals that are narrow with a slight gap in between each petal.
This shrub is also a larval food plant for Acraea butterflies.
Butterfly expert, Steve Woodhall, advised me to always plant several of these plants together so that if several deposits of eggs were deposited on a single plant the larvae would at least be assured of a continued food source by being able to move on to the neighbouring plants.
The shrub enjoys sun but does best in light shade.
It occurs naturally along the eastern region of southern Africa from the Transkei to Mozambique and can be found in coastal bush and forest, as well as bushveld.
Xylotheca kraussiana also makes an excellent container plant for a sheltered patio as its root system is not aggressive.
Contact the Hillcrest Conservancy chairman, George Victor, on 073 901 3902, e-mail georgevic@telkomsa.net or the website www.hillcrestconservancy.co.za or contact Lindsay Gray at info@schoolofgardendesign.com
