Sterculia alexandri

Sterculia alexandri, the Cape star chestnut, is a small tree, commonly growing to 4 m, rarely 8 m tall (SA Tree List No. 473).

The species distribution is restricted to parts of the Eastern Cape near Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, notably in the Van Stadens River gorge and in the Baviaanskloof near the Kouga Dam.

The tree’s habitat is forested riverbanks or scrub thickets in steep gorges and on sheer slopes. It is rare although its population in habitat is considered to be stable early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Gledhill, 1981; http://redlist.sanbi.org).