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Dais cotinifolia

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Species of small Southern African tree

Dais cotinifolia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Genus: Dais
Species: D. cotinifolia
Binomial name
Dais cotinifolia
L.
Synonyms

Dais cotinifolia, known as the pompom tree, is a small Southern African tree belonging to the Thymelaeaceae family. It occurs along the east coast northwards from the Eastern Cape, inland along the Drakensberg escarpment through KwaZulu-Natal and the Transvaal, with an isolated population in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. It flowers profusely during the summer months and produces a multitude of pink, sweet-scented, globular flowerheads about 10 cm across. Depending on the circumstances it can reach a height of up to 12m, although it rarely exceeds 6m in cultivation.

Description

Deciduous, bushy, with neat shape, its height and span only reaches 2-3m (in the UK). It can reach up to 4 metres in Australia. It has small ovate-oblong shaped and lustrous leaves up to 5mm long. It is evergreen in mild climates and deciduous in cool climates. In spring, or in the summer, it bears scented star-shaped rose-lilac, or pink coloured flowers, in flattened clusters that are 8 cm wide across. The bark is tough and fibrous and the branchlets are difficult to break.

Uses

Used as an ornamental in gardens, can be grown as a small tree or multi-stemmed shrub. It prefers siting in the garden in full sun and in fertile and well drained soils.

Although, it's bark yields fibres that are strong enough to be used as thread.

See also

References

  1. ^ Christopher Brickell RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers (2019), p. 561, at Google Books
  2. ^ "Plant Profile - Pom Pom Tree". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. Van Wyk, Braam; Van Wyk, Piet (1997). Field guide to trees of Southern Africa. Struil. ISBN 1-86825-922-6.
Taxon identifiers
Dais cotinifolia

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