Xylotheca kraussiana

Xylotheca kraussiana, commonly known as the African dogrose, and previously scientifically as Oncoba kraussiana, is a shrub of 50 cm to a small tree around 2 m in height (SA Tree List No. 493). This is the only Xylotheca species growing naturally in South Africa. The bark is pale grey and smooth.

The elliptic leaves are darker green on top than on the lower surfaces, hairy on both. The midrib and lateral veins are yellow and conspicuous, curving inwards near the margin to form an inner edge on the blade.

The species distribution is in the far northeast of South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, as well as further in East Africa, mainly coastally.

The habitat is coastal dunes, scrub and dune forests. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The pulp grown around the seeds is edible, popular with birds and children, the seed dispersers (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; iNaturalist; https://redlist.sanbi.org).