Catha edulis blooming

Catha edulis in full bloom can be an impressive sight. Many small flowerheads, about 2 cm long, emerge in clusters from most upper stem leaf axils at bloomtime. A flower becomes only about 2 mm in diameter.

This tree was seen in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden near the end of August (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; www.plantzafrica.com).