Curtisia

Last updated

Curtisia
Curtisia dentata - Assegai tree top canopy - Table Mountain 3.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Curtisiaceae
Takht. [2]
Genus: Curtisia
Aiton
Species:
C. dentata
Binomial name
Curtisia dentata

Curtisia dentata (commonly known as the Assegai tree or Cape lancewood, Afrikaans : Assegaai, Xhosa : Umgxina, Zulu : Umagunda) [5] is a flowering tree from Southern Africa. It is the sole species in genus Curtisia, which was originally classed as a type of "dogwood" (Cornaceae), but is now placed in its own unique family Curtisiaceae.

Contents

It is increasingly popular as an ornamental tree for gardens, with dark glossy foliage and sprays of pure white berries. The bark of this tree is a very popular component of traditional African medicine, leading to overexploitation and a decline in the species in some areas of South Africa. [6] The tree is protected in South Africa. [5]

Name

Curtisia fruits Curtisia dentata, vrugte, a, TUT-kampus.jpg
Curtisia fruits

This tree gets its common name from the African spear - the Zulu Assegai - which was traditionally made from this tree's strong wood. The Zulu would intentionally damage the tree's main trunk, causing the tree to coppice from its base. The straight, strong shoots of the coppice were used for the shafts of the spears.

Its genus name, "Curtisia", is from the botanist William Curtis (founder of The Botanical Magazine ) and "dentata" is simply the Latin for "toothed", referring to the slightly serrated margins of its leaves.

Appearance

A medium to tall evergreen tree (up to 15 m (49 ft) in height), usually immediately recognizable due to the striking contrast between its dark, glossy foliage and its sprays of cream-white berries. It has a clean, unbuttressed bole and the bark is smooth and grey or cinnamon-coloured. The leaves have pointed tips and toothed edges, and are arranged in opposite pairs. The leaf surface is smooth and dark glossy green, while the stalks and the twigs are covered in silky reddish hair. Very young growth is also velvety to the touch and bronze-gold in colour. The tiny flowers are cream-coloured and velvety, but relatively inconspicuous.

The tree bears dense clusters of small, white berries. They generally appear in winter and are pure white (sometimes tinged with pink or red). They remain on the tree for a long time and can be very decorative.

Distribution

Large Assegai tree, growing wild in Cape forests 1 Assegai tree - Curtisia dentata - afromontane.jpg
Large Assegai tree, growing wild in Cape forests

The Assegai tree grows in the forests of South Africa and Eswatini, ranging from sea level to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) elevation, and from Cape Town in the south to Limpopo province in the north. It also grows in Afromontane forest in the Eastern Highlands along the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and Mount Gorongosa in Mozambique. [1] In deep Afromontane forest it grows into a tall tree, but on open mountain slopes and by the coast it remains a small bushy tree. Curtisia has been in decline in some areas, as its bark is highly valued for traditional medicine. It is now a Protected Tree in South Africa.

Growing Curtisia dentata

The Assegai tree is attractive, fast-growing and hardy. When planted alone, it grows into a shapely, evergreen tree. Planted in a row it makes an attractive, tall, leafy hedge and it grows especially dense and bushy when planted in the sun. However, it can be grown in light shade as well as full sun, and its roots are non-invasive so it can also be planted near to buildings. It does not create much leaf litter, and it is storm-firm due to its deep roots and tough branches. The tree's edible (but bitter) berries also attract birds to the garden.

The bark of this tree is widely used as a traditional medicine for curing stomach ailments and diarrhoea. It is also reputed to be an aphrodisiac. Due to this, the tree is often overexploited and even effectively exterminated from some parts of the country.

The Assegai is best propagated by seed. Remove the fleshing covering of its white berries and plant them in moist soil. Germination takes a few weeks and seedlings grow rapidly, though they should be kept well-watered and out of direct sunlight. It is sensitive to frost and drought, although established trees can survive both. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Podocarpus latifolius</i> Species of conifer

Podocarpus latifolius is a large evergreen tree up to 35 m high and 3 m trunk diameter, in the conifer family Podocarpaceae; it is the type species of the genus Podocarpus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knysna–Amatole montane forests</span> Ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome in South Africa

The Knysna–Amatole montane forests ecoregion, of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, is in South Africa. It covers an Afromontane area of 3,100 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi) in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces.

<i>Boscia albitrunca</i> Species of tree

Boscia albitrunca, commonly known as the shepherd tree or shepherd's tree, is a protected species of South African tree in the caper family. It is known for having the deepest known root structure of any plant at 68 metres (223 ft).

<i>Brabejum</i> Monotypic genus of trees in the family Proteaceae from the Western Cape of South Africa

Brabejum is a genus of a single species of large evergreen tree, Brabejum stellatifolium in the family Proteaceae, commonly called wild almond, bitter almond or ghoeboontjie. It is restricted in the wild to South Africa's Western Cape province, where it grows in thickets along the banks of streams. The plant is of botanical interest as being Africa's only member of the large grevilleoid subfamily. It is a bushy small tree with branches widely at ground level and numerous erect vigorous stems. Leaves grow up to 6 in (15 cm) long, narrow and bluntly toothed, appear at intervals along the branches, mostly in whorls of 6. In summer, the plant bears white flowers densely crowded on spikes arising from rusty buds at the leaf axils. The fruits to 2 in (5 cm) long, magenta to reddish brown, similar to an almond, appear in autumn. The nut is too bitter to eat; however, in earlier times it was boiled, roasted, and ground to make a "coffee" drink.

<i>Celtis africana</i> Species of tree

Celtis africana, the white stinkwood, is a deciduous tree in the family Cannabaceae. Its habit ranges from a tall tree in forest to a medium-sized tree in bushveld and open country, and a shrub on rocky soil. It occurs in Yemen and over large parts of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common tree in the south and east of southern Africa, where the odour given off by freshly-cut green timber is similar to that of Ocotea bullata or black stinkwood.

<i>Cunonia capensis</i> Species of tree

Cunonia capensis, the butterspoon tree, butterknife tree, African red alder, red alder or rooiels, is a small tree found in the afromontane forests of southern Africa, and along rivers. It is grown as an ornamental in gardens for its attractive glossy foliage and its clusters of tiny, scented, white flowers. It is the only one of 24 species of Cunonia to occur outside of New Caledonia in the Pacific.

<i>Myrsine melanophloeos</i> Species of tree

Myrsine melanophloeos, commonly known as Cape beech, Kaapse boekenhout (Afrikaans), isiCalabi (Zulu) or isiQwane sehlati (Xhosa) is a dense evergreen tree that is native to the afromontane forests of Africa, ranging from Nigeria and Sudan to South Africa. Outside forests they are also commonly encountered along stream banks and in gullies.

<i>Podalyria calyptrata</i> Species of legume

Podalyria calyptrata is a small, resilient, fast-growing tree of the Fabaceae (legume) family. It has velvety silver leaves, bears masses of bright-pink, sweetly scented flowers, and is indigenous to the Western Cape, South Africa.

<i>Apodytes dimidiata</i> Species of tree

Apodytes dimidiata is a bushy tree with white flowers bearing a fragrance reminiscent of fresh coconut, and small black and red fruits. It is usually about 5 m tall, and it is indigenous to Southern Africa. The taxonomical family placement for this and other Apodytes was uncertain; it is now placed in the Metteniusaceae. Its English common name is in reference to the timber which is similar in appearance to that of the European pear tree of the northern hemisphere.

<i>Cassine peragua</i> Species of tree

Cassine peragua, also known as Cape saffron, bastard saffron and forest spoonwood, is a medium-sized tree with fragrant flowers, decorative fruits and a saffron-coloured trunk. It is indigenous to the Afro-montane forests of South Africa.

<i>Olinia ventosa</i> Species of tree

Olinia ventosa, commonly known as the hard-pear. is a large, evergreen forest tree indigenous to South Africa.

<i>Chionanthus foveolatus</i> Species of tree

Chionanthus foveolatus, commonly known as the pock ironwood or bastard ironwood, is a medium-sized, evergreen, Afromontane tree that is native to South Africa, Eswatini and Malawi.

<i>Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus</i> Species of tree

Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus, commonly called candlewood, cherrywood or kershout, is a medium-sized evergreen tree, indigenous to South Africa.

<i>Rhoicissus tomentosa</i> Species of grapevine

Rhoicissus tomentosa is a vigorous, evergreen vine that is indigenous to the afro-montane forests of southern Africa. It is increasingly popular as an ornamental creeper in gardens, and it has a wide range of uses in traditional medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Afrotemperate Forest</span> Main indigenous forest-type in the south-western part of South Africa

Southern Afrotemperate Forest is a kind of tall, shady, multilayered indigenous South African forest. This is the main forest-type in the south-western part of South Africa, naturally extending from the Cape Peninsula in the west, as far as Port Elizabeth in the east. In this range, it usually occurs in small forest pockets, surrounded by fynbos vegetation.

<i>Croton gratissimus</i> Species of shrub

Croton gratissimus, is a tropical African shrub or small tree with corky bark, growing to 8 m and belonging to the family of Euphorbiaceae or spurges. Young twigs are slender and angular and covered in silver and rust-coloured scales.

<i>Erythrina latissima</i> Species of legume

The broad-leaved coral tree is a deciduous tree from southern Africa growing 5 to 8 m tall. It is a member of the Fabaceae and occurs naturally in the Afrotemperate mist-belt of South Africa and Eswatini to the uplands of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and adjacent Botswana. It is often cultivated as a tree for gardens and parks. In Zimbabwe its range overlaps with the similar Erythrina abyssinica.

<i>Diospyros dichrophylla</i> Species of tree

Diospyros dichrophylla (Gand.) De Winter is a Southern African tree belonging to the ebony family of Ebenaceae and closely related to the Persimmon.

<i>Combretum apiculatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Combretum apiculatum is a species of tree in the family Combretaceae known by the common name red bushwillow. It is native to the mesic to semi-arid savanna regions of Africa, southwards of the equator.

<i>Allophylus natalensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Allophylus natalensis, commonly known as the dune false crowberry or dune false currant, is a species of plant in the genus Allophylus native to south-eastern Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 Barstow, M., Beech, E., Harvey-Brown, Y., Wilson, B. & Rivers, M.C. 2019. Curtisia dentata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T126025311A126025322. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T126025311A126025322.en. Accessed on 30 September 2023.
  2. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x .
  3. "Curtisia dentata (Burm.f.) C.A.Sm". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  4. "Curtisia dentata (Burm. fil.) C. A. Sm". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Protected Trees" (PDF). Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa. 3 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-05.
  6. Curtisia dentata in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database
  7. "Curtisia dentata | PlantZAfrica.com". www.plantzafrica.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.