Gardenia cornuta (100 seeds)

Gardenia cornuta (100 seeds)

Family: Rubiaceae

Common names: Tonga gardenia, Natal gardenia, horned gardenia, wilde-appel, Tongakatjiepiering, Natalkatjiepiering.

It  is a shrub or multi-branched small tree, 3 to 5 m tall, with erect and spreading main branches, branchlets sometimes with thick thorns, a trunk that is whitish grey, the bark is smooth, often flaking into thin peels. Leaves are smooth and crowded at the ends of twigs, usually in whorls of three, light glossy green, short-stalked, 20-30 mm long and broad, margins smooth; stipules joined to form a ring around the node. Flowers are solitary at the ends of short, rigid branches, borne in summer, white turning yellow, short-stalked, with a long, slender greenish tube, 50-60 mm, and spreading white lobes, 20-30 mm long. The calyx is very unusual, with 6 long, narrow lobes arising from its sides and not at its apex. Fruits which are more attractive than the flowers, are more or less pear-shaped, woody, tipped with persistent remains of the calyx, glossy golden yellow.

Sowing instructions: Sow seeds in flat seedling trays filled with river sand. Once seedlings have produced three leaves, transplant them into small nursery plastic bags filled with well-drained mixture. When the seedlings are big enough, they must be transplanted into bigger bags from where they can be planted out after a couple of weeks.

Locality: Ndumu. Harvest: March 2024