Botanical name |
Dais cotinifolia (SA 521) |
Other names |
Pompon tree; Kannabas (Afrikaans); inTozane-emnyama (Zulu) |
Family |
Thymelaeaceae |
Dimensions |
Small tree or shrub |
Description of stem |
Smooth, brown to grey; pale corky streaks on the bark |
Description of leaves |
Simple, opposite, sometimes scattered or clustered at the end of branchlets, dark green, ovate to obovate; apex tapering, margin entire; young leaves lighter |
Description of flowers |
Pink dense spherical heads of tubular flowers appearing from November to February, conspicuous spreading over the tree's foliage |
Description of seed/fruit |
A small brown or blackish nut at the base of the residual flower |
Description of roots |
|
Variation |
Flowers sometimes pinkish mauve |
Propagation and cultivation |
Grows readily from fresh seed sown in a suitable seedling mix; also grown from cuttings; grows quickly, needs a fair amount of watering |
Tolerances |
Not drought resistant; withstands mild frost |
Uses |
Cultivated for producing bark used in making ropes; a popular garden and urban pavement subject |
Ecological rarity |
Common |
Pests and diseases |
|
Other |
Cultivated in Europe since 1764 (Coates Palgrave, 2002) |
Location |
Forest margins or near rivers, wooded mountain slopes with good rainfall |
Distribution |
Mpumalanga, Limpopo; Kwazulu-Natal, Free State; Eastern Cape |
Country |
South Africa |