''Ilex mitis'' (commonly called Cape holly, African holly, waterboom or umDuma) is a tall, dense, evergreen tree that is indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa and

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. It makes an excellent fast-growing

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoin ...

for gardens - growing tall, straight and dense.

Appearance

If not pruned, ''Ilex mitis'' can grow to a height of 20 meters or more. Its trunk is straight, grey or brown and usually spotted while it produces a dense, even canopy. Young growth and leaf-stalks tend to be purple or red. The simply shaped, pointed, shiny-green leaves have wavy margins that are sometimes slightly serrated. The tree can be identified by its purple or maroon leaf stalks and the leaves’ strongly impressed midribs.
The small, white, scented

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 appear in spring. Ilex mitis is dioecious, with separate male and female trees.
The bright red

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s ripen in autumn, creating a colourful display and attracting a variety of birds.

Range and habitat

This is the only holly (''Ilex'') species native to sub-Saharan Africa. It has a wide but discontinuous distribution in west, central, east, and southern Africa. It has an Afromontane distribution. In tropical Africa it is mostly found at higher elevations, growing as high as 3,150 meters. In West Africa it is found in high-elevation forests in the

Guinea Highlands The Guinea Highlands is a densely forested mountainous plateau extending from central Guinea through northern Sierra Leone and Liberia to western Ivory Coast. The highlands include a number of mountains, ranges and plateaus, including the Fouta ...

of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and in the

Cameroon Highlands The Western High Plateau, Western Highlands or Bamenda Grassfields is a region of Cameroon characterised by high relief, cool temperatures, heavy rainfall and savanna vegetation. The region lies along the Cameroon line and consists of mounta ...

of Nigeria and Cameroon. It inhabits the islands of

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, Sao Tomé, and

Príncipe Príncipe is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Census;

in the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in ...

. It is found throughout the highlands of eastern Africa, including the

Ethiopian Highlands The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , while the summits reach heights of up to . ...

and the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley. It is also native to the central highlands of

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and the highlands of

. In southern Africa it inhabits the

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

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. 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 ...

it grows naturally in all provinces, from

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 ...

in the south to the border with Zimbabwe. It is usually found growing on the banks of rivers and in moist spots in Afro-montane forest, as low as sea level along the southern coast. It is most often found in moist montane forests and in riparian forests. It is also found in high-altitude thickets, and in open-canopied forests in association with ''

Podocarpus latifolius ''Podocarpus latifolius'' (broad-leaved yellowwood or real yellowwood, af, Opregte-geelhout, nso, Mogôbagôba, xh, Umcheya, zu, Umkhoba) is a large evergreen tree up to 35 m high and 3 m trunk diameter, in the conifer family Podoc ...

'' and '' Syzygium guineense''. In Ethiopia it grows in association with '' Galiniera saxifraga'' between 1,950 and 2,340 meters elevation. Young trees grow best in sun or light shade, and mature trees tolerate drought and frost.

Ecology

In southern Africa trees are pollinated by wasps and bees. Seeds are likely dispersed by birds.

Varieties

There are two accepted

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

.''Ilex mitis'' (L.) Radlk.
'' Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 12 September 2022. ''Ilex mitis'' var. ''mitis'' covers most of the species' range. ''Ilex mitis'' var. ''schliebenii'' is limited to the Uluguru Mountains and Lukwangule Plateau of Tanzania.''Ilex mitis'' var. ''schliebenii'' Loes.
'' Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 12 September 2022.IUCN SSC East African Plants Red List Authority. 2019. ''Ilex mitis'' var. ''schliebenii''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T32864A2825679. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T32864A2825679.en. Accessed on 12 September 2022. Var. ''schleibenii'' is threatened with habitat loss from forest clearance for timber harvesting and agriculture, and its conservation status is assessed as vulnerable.

Growing ''Ilex mitis''

This is a fast-growing tree, growing nearly a meter a year in ideal conditions. It grows especially well in wet areas like beside lakes or rivers and it tolerates frost, making it suitable for colder climates. Fresh seed will usually germinate, but should first be dried out a bit. If kept moist after planting, the young plants usually sprout several weeks later. It transplants well, but needs to be protected from drying out and direct sun whilst young. It has no known diseases or pests, though in the wild it is one of the favourite foods of elephants.

Pictures

File:Ilex mitis tree - Cape Town 3.JPG, A small ''Ilex mitis'', growing un-pruned as a feature tree. File:Ilex mitis - Cape Holly - foliage.JPG, Foliage detail File:Ilex mitis - blossoms - 2.jpg, Ilex mitis blossoms.

References

External links

''Ilex mitis'' at PlantZAfrica.com
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2716835 mitis Trees of Africa Flora of South Tropical Africa Trees of South Africa Afromontane flora Flora of the Madagascar subhumid forests Flora of the Madagascar ericoid thickets Garden plants of Africa Plants used in bonsai Ornamental trees