Widdringtonia nodiflora

Widdringtonia nodiflora is an evergreen shrub or small tree reaching heights around 5 m, although some big trees still occur in Zimbabwe (SA Tree List No. 20). The shape of the tree is often columnar. Pale grey bark is visible on this specimen growing in Fernkloof. Foliage at stem tips is yellowish in the photo, much paler than the older leaves.

The species distribution occurs in a narrow band from the Cape Peninsula along the Western and Eastern Cape coastal mountain ranges, inland in KwaZulu-Natal and in Limpopo. It also grows in the east of Lesotho, the west of Swaziland and several other African countries.

The habitat is moutain slopes, sometimes at high elevations, the trees growing among rocks and in kloofs. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).