Ochna pretoriensis flowers and fruits

The bisexual flowers of Ochna pretoriensis grow solitary or up to three of them at spur-branchlet tips on stalks of 1 cm. They appear before the annual leaves. A tree may be covered in a profusion of fragrant, yellow flowers in season, the show enhanced by the absence of leaves.

The flowers are yellow, 1 cm to 2 cm in diameter, their short-lived petals stalked. The spreading sepals persist, surrounding the red, hairy receptacle upon which one to five pale drupelets would normally grow. The sepals may be pink to wine-red around the developing fruit, rather than the pale brown of the late season seen here. Flowering happens in spring. The photo was taken in January.

The fruits become about 10 mm by 7 mm in size, turning black when ripe. In the photo a lone, late flower has recently faded, reaching the fruiting stage. It appears, however, as if no fruit will be produced here, the season probably missed, unless some ripe ones have dropped off already (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com).