Gymnosporia mossambicensis mature stems

The stems of an old Gymnosporia mossambicensis tree photographed in Kirstenbosch shows several lower branches of different ages and sizes. This is a generally much-branched tree or shrub, also from the base.

The shades of grey-brown on the fairly smooth stems varies, brown dominating in some younger parts, the grey stems also varying from light to dark. Few spines remain in the section photographed, some stems shedding them sooner than others. Small patches of cracked, rough bark relate to localised growth phenomena and past life events possibly involving impact.

There has been confusion between G. mossambicensis and G. harveyana. At times they were taken to be the same or partly so, at other times separated. The smaller, shrubby, forest understorey one was said to be G. mossambicensis, while G. harveyana was the forest tree. Their distributions partly overlap in the northeast of South Africa and in tropical East Africa (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Pooley, 1993).