Virgilia divaricata

Virgilia divaricata is one of the two popular keurboom species endemic to South Africa (SA Tree List No. 221.1). The rounded growth habit of V. divaricata sometimes reaches 10 m in height.

The compound leaves comprise seven to nine pairs of leaflets as well as a terminal leaflet, the structure referred to as imparipinnate.

The flowers are similarly shaped as peaflowers, dark or pale pink to white, growing in short sprays at stem-tips late winter to early spring or during early autumn.

The distribution range of V. divaricata is coastal in the east of the Western Cape from around Mossel Bay and in the Eastern Cape as far east as Makhanda. 

The habitat is forest margins and riverine fynbos valleys. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

The equally admired relative is V. oroboides. The two are sometimes mixed up. The main points of difference are greener, less hairy leaves (mainly lower surface) in V. divaricata, often with dark purplish keel tips on the flowers.

To make matters more interesting, V. oroboides also has two subspecies, viz. subsp. oroboides and subsp. ferruginea, both found in the Western Cape only.

Both trees are popular in gardens and parks although they do not live much longer than 20 years (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).