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''Virgilia'' is a genus of Southern African trees in the family that is known for its very fast growth (4.5m in 2 years) and a tendency to fall over as it matures (15 years or so). The common name in South Africa (in Afrikaans) is keurboom, meaning 'choice tree'. Valued as useful
The genus was described by Jean Louis Marie Poiret and published in Encyclopédie Méthodique in 1808. Most botanists feel that the two species are simply forms and should be lumped under one species, ''Virgilia oroboides''. That would mean that the current ''V. divaricata'' is simply a darker form limited to the forested region of Knysna, South Africa. ''Virgilia oroboides'' had a number of synonyms, while both ''V. oroboides'' and ''V. divaricata'' had both been named ''V. capensis'' by different authors.
VIRGILIA OROBOIDES
/ref>
File:Virgilia_tree_-_Keurboom_-_South_Africa_3.JPG, A mature tree blooming in South Africa
File:Virgilia_tree_Keurboom_-_Cape_Town_2.JPG, Close up of flowers in Cape Town
File:Virgilia_tree_Keurboom_-_Cape_Town_9.JPG, Leaf shape
File:Cape_virgilia_in_Perth_(Australia).jpg, A flowering tree in Perth
ornamental tree
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
s by gardeners, the genus's two species are also known as tree-in-a-hurry, cape lilac, blossom tree and pink blossom tree.
Taxonomy
The genus was described by Jean Louis Marie Poiret and published in Encyclopédie Méthodique in 1808. Most botanists feel that the two species are simply forms and should be lumped under one species, ''Virgilia oroboides''. That would mean that the current ''V. divaricata'' is simply a darker form limited to the forested region of Knysna, South Africa. ''Virgilia oroboides'' had a number of synonyms, while both ''V. oroboides'' and ''V. divaricata'' had both been named ''V. capensis'' by different authors.
Species
Below is a list of offers species of the genus ''Virgilia'' accepted as of July 2014, sorted alphabetically. For each one, thebinomial
Binomial may refer to:
In mathematics
*Binomial (polynomial), a polynomial with two terms
* Binomial coefficient, numbers appearing in the expansions of powers of binomials
*Binomial QMF, a perfect-reconstruction orthogonal wavelet decomposition
...
name followed by the author is indicated, abbreviated according to the conventions and uses.
*''Virgilia divaricata
Virgilia is the wife of Coriolanus in William Shakespeare's play ''Coriolanus (play), Coriolanus'' (1607–1610), in which same play Volumnia (Shakespeare), Volumnia is his mother.
Origins
The life of the legendary figure Caius Marcius Coriol ...
'' Adamson
*''Virgilia oroboides'' (P.J.Bergius) T.M.Salter
Description
These are small to medium sized trees, up to 15 to 20 meters tall, filling space easily in the garden. The tree has shiny green, fern-like, pinnate foliage and displays attractive pea-like, mauve/pink, fragrant flowers (which smell like bubblegum) during warmer months that will be followed by dark, leathery seed pods./ref>
Cultivation
Growing in full sun to partially shade, they prefer well drained soils; some will then grow 2m in the first season. They will tolerate wind and have dense foliage growing close to the ground, so they are useful as pioneer species for privacy and wind protection, despite having a comparatively short life (15 years). Popular in the UK since the 18th century or so, they are also now commonly present in the USA and Australia.Gallery
See also
*''Virgilia'' is the larval food plant of the moth ''Leto venus
''Leto'' is a monotypic moth genus of the family Hepialidae described by Jacob Hübner in 1820. The only described species is ''Leto venus'', described by Pieter Cramer in 1780, which is endemic to South Africa. The larval food plant is ''Virgi ...
''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7933846 Podalyrieae Afromontane flora Flora of South Africa Trees of South Africa Ornamental trees Fabaceae genera