Burchellia bubalina (100 seeds)

Burchellia bubalina (100 seeds)

Family: Rubiaceae

Common names: wild pomegranate; wildegranaat.

It is a shrub or a small tree that grows up to 8 m tall. It grows naturally in forests, forest margins, rocky outcrops and bush clumps in montane grasslands. The wild pomegranate has a smooth, grey-brown bark that becomes rougher with age. The tree bears new twigs that are always covered with hairs. The dark green, glossy, opposite leaves are hairless above and paler below, with fine soft hairs along the vein. Leaves are soft when young, becoming thickly leathery as they age. In early spring to mid-summer, the tree bears bright red to orange flowers in dense terminal clusters, and are followed by green, urn-shaped fruits that are also borne in dense clusters. The fruits are crowned with distinctive horn-like calyx lobes. The fruits turn brown as they ripen and then become woody, remaining on the tree for many months.

Sowing instructions: Sow seeds in summer in a well drained medium. They take about four to six weeks to germinate.

Locality: Grahamstown. Harvest: April 2024