Botanical name

Greyia radlkoferi (SA No 445)

Other names

Transvaal or woolly bottlebrush; wollerige baakhout (Afrikaans)

Family

Greyiaceae, previously Melianthaceae

Dimensions

Shrub or shrub-like tree, seldom taller than 3 m

Description of stem

Dark grey and rough bark on mature trunks, often with a gnarled appearance; smooth and light on young stems

Description of leaves

Margin toothed or lobed, very hary below, apex round, the sparse hairs on the upper surface disappear with age

Description of flowers

Bright red racemes of bell-shaped flowers, appearing mid-winter up to spring, stamens protruding

Desciption of seed/fruit

Cylindric with four or five deeply divided sections

Description of roots

Variation

Propagation and cultivation

Transplants reasonably well; gaining in horticultural use

Tolerances

Sensitive to frost

Uses

Attractive and valued garden plant, although not yet widely encountered

Ecological rarity

Pests and diseases

Other

Location

In rocky and mountainous areas, close to rivers and in thickets

Distribution (SA provinces)

Mpumalanga and Limpopo

Country

South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland