Xylotheca kraussiana

Xylotheca kraussiana, previously known 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 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 usually solitary, somewhat rose-like flowers have yellow masses of stamens in a ring around the centre. The flower measures about 7 cm in diameter.

The fruit is an ovoid, woody capsule of about 4 cm in diameter. The generic name, Xylotheca, is derived from the Latin words xulon meaning wood and theke meaning a case, referring to the woody fruit, a capsule.

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

The habitat is coastal dunes, scrub and dune forests. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century.

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