Maytenus oleoides
| Maytenus oleoides | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Celastrales |
| Family: | Celastraceae |
| Genus: | Maytenus |
| Species: | M. oleoides
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| Binomial name | |
| Maytenus oleoides | |
Maytenus oleoides, commonly known as the mountain maytenus or rock false candlewood, is a dense, medium-sized tree that grows throughout the western half of South Africa. It is known as klipkershout in Afrikaans.[1]
Description
The bark of Maytenus oleoides is greyish-brown, smooth when young but becoming rugged and corky as it ages, with vertical grooves and transverse cracks. The leaves are alternate, oval, with a narrow base, stiff and leathery, mid-green with a bluish tinge. The margins are inrolled and smooth and the apex is rounded, or may be notched. The midribs are ridged, and when the leaves are snapped in half they differ from some other
Distribution and habitat
Maytenus oleoides is native to South Africa where it occurs in the Eastern Cape, in part of the Northern Cape and in the Western Cape, including the Groot Winterhoek Mountains, Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula. At high altitudes it grows as a shrub or dwarf tree but at lower elevations it forms a more robust, small tree up to 6 m (20 ft) high with a spreading crown.[1] It mostly grows in woodland along streams and on scree slopes. The climate is one of cool moist winters and dry warm summers, with an average precipitation of 160 cm (63 in) which mostly falls between May and August.[2]
Fire ecology
The
Pictures
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Detail of foliage -
Trunk and branches -
The mountain maytenus has soft corky bark.
References
- ^ a b c Alice Notten; Mandy Barnes (2006-11-01). "Maytenus oleoides". PlantZAfrica.com. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
- ^ JSTOR 2261046.