Greyia sutherlandii

Greyia sutherlandii, the Natal bottlebrush, is a shrub or small, crooked tree reaching heights from 3 m to 7 m (SA Tree List No. 446). It branches much to form a spreading crown. The reddish grey bark is smooth when young, darkening and roughening with age.

The scarlet red, bell-shaped flowers grow nearly horizontally in terminal racemes. Their petals spread, the stamens conspicuously protruding. Flowering starts late in winter, continuing beyond mid-spring.

The species distribution is mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, extending into the Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, as well as into Lesotho and Swaziland.

The tree’s habitat is montane grassland and the crests of rocky ridges. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; www.redlist.sanbi.org).