''Halleria lucida'' (also known as tree fuchsia, umBinza or notsung) is a small, attractive, evergreen tree that is indigenous to

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

. It is increasingly grown as an

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 th ...

in African gardens.

Appearance

This tree has lush, glossy, bright-green foliage on arching and drooping branches. It is often multi-stemmed and can eventually reach a height of over 15m. The way that the dense foliage droops from the hanging branches gives the tree a

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

y appearance.
''Notsung'' is unusual in producing its flowers and fruit, not from the tips of its branches like most flowering trees, but from its trunk, exhibiting what is known in botany as

cauliflory Cauliflory is a botanical term referring to plants that flower and fruit from their main stems or woody trunks, rather than from new growth and shoots. It is rare in temperate regions but common in tropical forests. There have been several st ...

. This characteristic is also found in other Southern African trees such as

Stamvrug ''Englerophytum magalismontanum'', commonly known as stamvrug, is an evergreen tree that mostly grows in rocky places. It has an extensive range, from northern KwaZulu-Natal northwards along the east coast and into the southern African interior, ...

. The orange or purple

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are rich in

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

and bi-sexual. The small, fleshy

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

s are edible (but do not taste particularly good). It is a member of the

Snapdragon ''Antirrhinum'' is a genus of plants in the Plantaginaceae family, commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They ...

family.

Distribution

The natural range of this tree extends throughout

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, as well as northwards through

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

as far as

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. Its natural habitats include deep afro-montane forest, forest fringes, open mountain slopes, gorges and river banks. Like many other trees, in a shady habitat (like deep forest) ''Halleria lucida'' grows tall and slender; while it forms a smaller shrub-like tree if grown in the open.

Growing ''Halleria lucida''

Tough and easy to grow, ''Halleria lucida'' is becoming popular as an

for gardens. It is undoubtedly one of the best trees in Africa for attracting birds, but it is usually grown more for its attractive foliage and flowers. It tolerates full sun as well as partial shade and, once established, it can also survive moderate drought. This makes it particularly suitable for growing in mildly arid areas. It is also a relatively fast-growing tree. This is an excellent tree for bringing

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s to the garden. Nectivorous birds such as

sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly i ...

s are attracted to the bright flowers, and the fruits attract a large range of other birds. The leaves and fruits of ''Halleria lucida'' are an important component of traditional African medicine. In addition, it has a function in traditional Zulu religion, as the ceremonial burning of the leaves is believed to counter witchcraft and summon the protective spirits of dead ancestors.

Gallery

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5642905 Stilbaceae Afromontane flora Plants used in traditional African medicine Trees of South Africa Trees of Mediterranean climate Drought-tolerant trees Ornamental trees Plants used in bonsai Zulu culture Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plants described in 1753