Phylica paniculata

Phylica paniculata, commonly the northern hardleaf and in Afrikaans luisbos (louse bush), is a single-stemmed shrub or small tree reaching heights from 3 m to 6 m (SA Tree List No. 453.2).

The bark is pale grey, the stem about 25 cm in diameter. The bush branches much and from low down, the young branches grey-haired to woolly.

The species distribution is widespread in southern Africa, occurring in all South African provinces except the Northern Cape and the Free State; absent from the far west but found northwards to tropical Africa. The photo was taken in the Kammanassie Mountains in the Little Karoo.

The habitat is rocky mountain slopes, streambanks, forest margins, grassland, fynbos, bushveld and thicket in higher rainfall areas. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century.

The tree is hardy and decorative, easily grown from seed (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Pooley, 1993; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).