Searsia longispina

Searsia longispina, commonly known as spiny currant-rhus or in Afrikaans as doringtaaibos (thorn sticky bush), is a much-branched shrub or small tree reaching 4 m in height (SA Tree List No. 388). The dense branches have pale grey, granular to slightly rough or fissured bark.

The flowers are small and pale yellowish, growing in compact axillary and terminal clusters of up to 5 cm long. Flowering happens from late winter to spring, sometimes through summer. The shiny, brown fruits are disc-shaped and fleshy, up to 6 mm in diameter.

The species distribution is mostly along the drier parts of the southern Cape coastal region from places like Saldanha and Worcester, the Little Karoo, mostly avoiding the high rainfall parts and into the Eastern Cape. It is less common in Namaqualand and KwaZulu-Natal.

The habitat is semi-arid karoid scrub, often where spekboom or guarri also grow. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).