Psydrax obovata subsp. obovata

Psydrax obovata subsp. obovata is a forest tree that bears white or cream flowers and black ovoid fruits late in autumn and during winter. The often two-seeded fruits are eaten by birds. The photo was taken in Nature’s Valley during May.

The tree is often a pioneer on coastal dunes.

P. obovata also has a more inland subspecies, subsp. elliptica, bearing leaves less rounded than this coastal subspecies. The domatia on subsp. elliptica leaves are hairy, while those on the subspecies shown here are hairless (Venter, 2012; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Pooley, 1993; iNaturalist).