Family Ochnaceae
In South Africa there are 12 species and twenty species in southern Africa,
including Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
With such attractive flowers in all species of Ochna,
bees and butterflies are favourite companions of these plants. During the
flowering season a chorus of melodies is heard as bees visit to draw out
nectar.
The art of colour exhibition is also witnessed
as butterflies glorify the season. These insects assist in pollination of Ochna
species. Some bird species find the ripe fruit palatable.
An evergreen shrub to medium-sized tree, up to 12 m high. The leaves are
oblong, leathery and glossy green with serrated margins. The bright yellow
flowers are borne in clusters, on short lateral shoots. Flowering time:
Aug.–Jan. The ripe fruit consists of 1–5 kidney-shaped, shiny black carpels on
an enlarged receptacle, inside the red, petal-like sepals. Fruiting time:
Nov.–Feb. The plant occurs in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern
Cape, also in Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Info: http://www.plantzafrica.com
