Family Rubiaceae
The bushveld gardenia is a small, relatively slow-growing tree, ideal as a focus plant in summer rainfall gardens or on patios.
Description
Small, multi-stemmed tree with a dense, rounded crown, 3–8 m high with arching branches, sometimes touching the ground. The bark is pale grey and smooth and the branchlets appear knobbly due to persistent leaf-like appendages at the base of the leaf stalk (stipules). The glossy, green leaves are usually in groups of three and crowded at the end of short branches. The leaves are spoon-shaped with a broadly rounded tip and a tapering base. They have small pockets of hair in some axils of veins (domatia) and a wavy margin. The flowers are solitary, large (up to 100 mm in diameter), and showy with a sweet scent. The trumpet-like flowers are white turning yellow with age, with a long tube that opens up into 6–9 lobes. The flowers open during the night and are probably moth-pollinated.
Gardenia volkensii prefers open woodland, bushveld and thicket and occurs from tropical Africa through Namibia, Botswana, and the northeastern parts of South Africa into KwaZulu-Natal in the southeast.
The genus Gardenia comprises ± 60 species of which 6 occur in southern Africa.
Ecology
Fruit are eaten by monkeys, baboons, elephants and large antelope. Leaves are browsed by game, e.g. giraffe, kudu and impala.
Used medicinally as a cure for intestinal worms. Infusions of the fruit and roots are used to induce vomiting. The ash of burnt roots is rubbed into the chest to treat pneumonia, while headaches are treated by dripping an extract into the eyes or by placing a cold compress on the forehead. For earache an extract is dripped into the ear.
The wood is very hard and suitable for carving ornaments, and plants are also believed to protect against lightning or evil spirits.
