''Coleonema pulchellum'', commonly known as confetti bush, buchu, diosma or breath of heaven, is a shrub which is endemic to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Description

It is woody, evergreen and rather dense shrub that is erect in posture that grows to between high. It forms a single stem at the base, from where numerous thin and erect branches grow. The aromatic leaves are like needles and are 4 to 5 times longer (8-10 mm) than they are wide (0.8 mm). The petiole is 1 mm long. The dwarf variety 'Dwarf Pink' grows between . The flowers are solitary, terminal in short axillary twigs or in small twigs, often dense towards the top of the branches. They are pink, often white, and star-shaped (7 to 8 mm in diameter), with 5 oval

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s, 5.0-5.7 mm long, each marked with a distinctive central vein. The entire shrub will be covered in pink flowers from May to October, attracting bees, butterflies and other insects. The fruit is made up of a 5-chamber capsule, dotted with glands. There is a shiny black seed in each chamber.

Taxonomy

The species was formally described in 1981 in the ''Journal of South African Botany''. Prior to this, plants in cultivation had been erroneously identified as ''

Coleonema pulchrum ''Coleonema'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae. The eight known species are all from the western Cape Province of South Africa. In Australia, where they are cultivated as garden ornamentals, they are often referred to as '' D ...

''. The species is naturalised in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia.

Cultivars

* 'Compactum' ('Nanum') — dwarf pink flowering form growing to 1m *'Rubrum' ('Red Form') — red flowering form *'Sunset Gold' — dwarf form with golden foliage to 75 cm high *''Album' — white flowering variant

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5143067 Flora of South Africa Garden plants of Southern Africa Zanthoxyloideae