''Calodendrum capense'', the Cape chestnut, is an African tree which was first studied at The Cape in

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

and cultivated widely for its prolific flower display. The tree obtained the common name of "Cape chestnut" because explorer

William Burchell __NOTOC__ William John Burchell (23 July 1781 – 23 March 1863) was an English explorer, naturalist, traveller, artist, and author. His thousands of plant specimens, as well as field journals from his South African expedition, are held by Ke ...

saw a resemblance to the

horse chestnut The genus ''Aesculus'' ( or ), with species called buckeye and horse chestnut, comprises 13–19 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. They are trees and shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with six species n ...

in terms of flowers and fruit, though the two are not closely related.

Range

It is native to a swath of the east side of the continent from the equatorial highlands of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

at its northern limit southwards through isolated mountains in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

to both sides of

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fr ...

, the Mashonaland Plateau and

Eastern Highlands :''"Eastern Highlands" also refers to Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, and part of the Great Dividing Range, Australia.'' The Eastern Highlands, also known as the Manica Highlands, is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabw ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

, and then along the lower slopes of the

Drakensberg Mountains The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within t ...

of South Africa and in coastal forests from Port Elizabeth to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Habit

The tree can reach 20 metres high in a forest, but in cultivation it is more likely to reach 10 metres, with a spreading canopy.

Bark and flowers

The trunk is smooth and grey and the leaves are

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe *Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd *Vates In modern English, the nouns vates () and ova ...

up to 22 cm long and 10 cm wide. The large pink

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are produced in terminal panicles and cover the tree canopy in the early summer.

Uses

Cape chestnut oil, obtained from the seeds, otherwise known as ''Yangu oil'', is a popular oil in African

skin care Skin care is a range of practices that support skin integrity, enhance its appearance, and relieve skin conditions. They can include nutrition, avoidance of excessive sun exposure, and appropriate use of emollients. Practices that enhance appea ...

. Its inherent

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...

protection, its high content of

essential fatty acid Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them. Only two fatty acids are known to be essential for humans: alpha-linolenic ac ...

s and antioxidants and its mild odour destined it for natural cosmetics. The seeds are eaten by birds and monkeys.

Gallery

Calodendrum capense 2.jpg, Bark texture Calodendrum capense, geurkliere, c, Uniegeboutuine.jpg, Secretory cavities in leaf Calodendrum capense (Cape Chestnut) - Rutaceae (36149006220).jpg, flowers Calodendrum capense, vrug, a, Uniegeboutuine.jpg, green fruit capsule Calodendrum capense, droë vrugte, b, Uniegeboutuine.jpg, dry fruit capsules Calodendrum capense seeds, by Omar Hoftun.jpg, Seeds

References

PlantZAfrica.com: ''Calodendrum capense''

External links

Trees of South Africa Ornamental trees Trees of Mediterranean climate Zanthoxyloideae {{rosid-tree-stub