Searsia crenata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Sapindales |
Family: | Anacardiaceae |
Genus: | Searsia |
Species: | S. crenata |
Binomial name | |
Searsia crenata (Thunb.) Moffett | |
Synonyms | |
Rhus crenataThunb. |
Searsia crenata, previously known as Rhus crenata, ("dune crow-berry"), is a species of Searsia that is native to South Africa, where it grows in frost-free and light frost areas, especially on beach sand dunes.
It is a multibranched evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 3 metres and a similar spread.
The leaf stalks (petioles) are about 2 mm in length. Each leaflet is obovate-cuneate with three distinct bumps at the broad tip (tricrenate).
The small flowers are produced in autumn, and are followed by dark blue fruit eaten by birds.
This species is found along the southern coast of South Africa, from Cape Town as far east as the Kei river. Its favoured habitat is stabilised sand dunes. [1]
The tree is a good subject for bonsai, and can easily be pruned into a very neat hedge. It enjoys full sun and is semi frost hardy. [2]
Fynbos is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate and rainy winters. The fynbos ecoregion is within the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. In fields related to biogeography, fynbos is known for its exceptional degree of biodiversity and endemism, consisting of about 80% species of the Cape floral kingdom, where nearly 6,000 of them are endemic. This land continues to face severe human-caused threats, but due to the many economic uses of the fynbos, conservation efforts are being made to help restore it.
The Wonderboom Nature Reserve is a 1 km², 200-hectare reserve that incorporates a section of the Magaliesberg range in the northern portion of the Pretoria metropole, South Africa. Its main attractions are the Wonderboom near the reserve entrance in Lavender street and the derelict Fort Wonderboompoort on the crest of the Magaliesberg, that was constructed towards the end of the nineteenth century, during the Second Boer War. The latter is reached by following the steep, paved walkway that leads from the picnic area to the summit. The vicinity of the fort ruins also afford sweeping views of the city, whose council declared the area around the Wonderboom and both banks of the Apies River a reserve on 28 December 1949.
Searsia pendulina, commonly known as the white karee (English) or witkaree (Afrikaans), is a hardy, very fast growing, semi-deciduous tree. It is native to Namibia and to the Free State and Cape Provinces of South Africa. It occurs naturally along the Orange River and some of its tributaries.
Searsia lucida, previously known as Rhus lucida, and commonly known as the varnished kuni-rhus (English) or blinktaaibos (Afrikaans).
Searsia dentata, the nana-berry (English), or nanabessie (Afrikaans), is a medium-sized, deciduous tree, reaching a height of about 5 metres and a spread of 4 metres, and with a tendency to scramble through and over neighbouring trees. It occurs naturally in almost the whole of South Africa except the Western and Northern Cape Provinces. Its habitat varies from sea level to the highlands of the Drakensberg. It is frost-hardy and should be planted in full sun. The strongly aromatic leaves are usually conspicuously toothed, though sometimes they may be only slightly toothed. The tree produces small, creamy-white flowers in masses, developing into small, flattened drupes (5-6mm) which turn red or orange when ripe and brown when dry. The ripe fruits are eaten by birds, while the foliage is food for the larvae of the pepper tree moth Bombycomorpha bifascia.
Searsia lancea commonly known as karee, is an evergreen, frost hardy, drought resistant tree, which can reach up to 8 metres in height with a 5-metre spread. It is one of the most common trees on the Highveld and in the Bushveld in South Africa, but not found in the Lowveld. In North America, where it is naturalized, it is known as African sumac and willow rhus.
Searsia pentheri, the common crowberry (English), gewone kraaibessie (Afrikaans), iNhlokoshiyane (Zulu), or mutasiri (Venda), is a species of tree in the genus Searsia. Frost hardy tree reaching a height of up to 6 metres. The tree is mainly evergreen but loses its leaves in severe winters. It has olive-green foliage with dark brown bark and can be grown in either full sun or semi shade. Small flowers are produced and are followed by masses of shiny, light brown, small edible fruits, which provide a feast for birds. Only female trees produce these fruits though. The tree occurs over large portions of South Africa. It has been planted in Spain.
Searsia glauca is a small, compact tree or bush native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. Although commonest near the coast, it is also found inland among fynbos vegetation.
Searsia laevigata, the dune currant rhus, is a small, bushy, evergreen tree that occurs in rocky fynbos slopes and coastal shrub in South Africa.
Searsia pentaphylla, the tizra tree, is a sumac shrub or small tree species in the genus Searsia found in North Africa, especially in Morocco and Algeria, the Levant, and Sicily.
Searsia angustifolia, the willow karee or smalblaar, is a small, bushy, evergreen tree which is confined to the South Western Cape in South Africa.
The Milnerton Racecourse Nature Reserve is a lowland conservation area located in the City of Cape Town, South Africa.
Osyris compressa is a facultatively hemiparasitic, mainly South African plant of the sandalwood family, Santalaceae. Until recently, the favoured binomial name was Colpoon compressum, but around 2001, the genus Colpoon was included in Osyris on the basis of comparative DNA studies. That assignment is not final, however, and according to the Kew Gardens plant list, Colpoon compressum P.J.Bergius, though still in review, is the accepted name.
Cape Flats Dune Strandveld is an endangered vegetation type. This is a unique type of Cape Strandveld that is endemic to the coastal areas around Cape Town, including the Cape Flats.
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (CFSF), previously known as Sand Plain Fynbos, is a critically endangered vegetation type that occurs only within the city of Cape Town. Less than 1% of this unique lowland fynbos vegetation is conserved.
Edith Stephens Wetland Park is a nature reserve for wetlands and fynbos, located in the city of Cape Town, South Africa.
Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve is a 3,000-hectare (7,400-acre) protected natural area in Cape Town, South Africa, located on the city's northern outskirts. This reserve protects an important part of Cape Town's natural and cultural heritage, including the Atlantis Aquifer. It is adjacent to the Koeberg Nature Reserve.
Macassar Dunes Conservation Area is a 1,116-hectare (2,760-acre) coastal nature reserve in Macassar, within the City of Cape Town, South Africa.
The Orange River white-eye is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae, which is native to Namibia and South Africa. It was formerly deemed conspecific with the Cape white-eye, but the two species occur sympatrically in central South Africa, and they are genetically distinct.
The Helderberg Marine Protected Area is a small marine conservation area on the north-eastern side of False Bay in the Western Cape province of South Africa, It lies between the mouths of the Lourens River in the Strand, and the Eerste River in Macassar.
Media related to Searsia crenata at Wikimedia Commons