Mitzeeri
Bridelia micrantha
Flora
| At a Glance | |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae |
| Seasonality | Deciduous |
| Height | Up to 20m |
| SA Tree Number | 324 |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern |
Description
This tree is also know as the Coastal Golden Leaf.
Medium to large deciduous tree with spreading crown. Bark greyish brown, flaky, rough in older specimens, sometimes with small blunt spines at bottom of trunks or on branches.
Leaves alternate, elliptic to obovate, 40–180 x 25–120 mm, usually 70–80 x 35–40 mm, dark green, glossy above, paler green below, frequently bright orange in autumn.
Distribution
Found in coastal, riverine and swamp forest, usually in moist places in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo Province, in the Lower Sourveld of Mpumalanga, in Zimbabwe and up to Ethiopia and Senegal.
Flower - Fruit
Flowers in small tight yellow clusters (Oct – Dec)
Fruit an oval berry, 8 x 4 mm, black when mature, edible and sweet tasting (Jan – Mar)
Uses
Has an attractive dark brown fine grain and makes fine furniture.
The fruit is sweet and edible.
It is very fast growing and suitable as a shade tree.
Local Information
A very common tree in the Kloof area.
Interesting Facts
This is a good tree for butterflies and is host to a number of caterpillar species.
The name “micrantha†means “small floweredâ€