Ochna serrulata

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Ochna serrulata
The plant's typical bright red sepal with a black berry.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Ochnaceae
Genus: Ochna
Species:
O. serrulata
Binomial name
Ochna serrulata
Synonyms

Ochna multiflora

Ochna serrulata (commonly known as the small-leaved plane, carnival ochna, bird's eye bush, Mickey mouse plant or Mickey Mouse bush due to the plant's ripe blackfruit, which upside down resembles the ears of Mickey Mouse, and bright-red sepals, which resembles his trousers) is an ornamental garden plant in the family Ochnaceae which is indigenous to South Africa. It is planted in southern African gardens and is an invasive species in Australia and New Zealand.

Taxonomy

Ochna serrulata was first described by the German naturalist Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter, and given its current binomial name by Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin serrula "little saw",[1] and refers to its fine-toothed leaf margins.

Description

Flower of Ochna serrulata
Pollen of Ochna serrulata
Ochna serrulata with fruits and the bright-red sepals that resemble the ears and trousers of Mickey Mouse
An Ochna serrulata shrub

Ochna serrulata is a small

summer, while the red sepals last until around late summer. The flowers usually attract bees and butterflies, while the birds tend to eat the fruitlets from the plant. The seeds can be released by birds and water.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The plant is native to the

Kwazulu-Natal, and inland through Eswatini and Gauteng
. This tough, adaptable shrub grows in sunny, open positions as well as in the shade of deep forest.

It has been widely cultivated outside of South Africa as an ornamental garden plant, and has become a weed in New South Wales and southern Queensland in eastern Australia, where it is found near human habitation in and around large towns and cities.[2]

Cultivation

This plant makes a very attractive indigenous shrub for

plant for attracting birds
to the garden. It does not tolerate frost well, but adapts well to light pruning and is attractive throughout the year, even when not in fruit.

Ochna serrulata is also one of several cultivated plants in Hawaii for their colorful flowers and unusual fruits.[4]

Invasive species

Ochna serrulata is a weed in parts of eastern Australia with a potential to spread from its current range.[5] In New Zealand it is listed on the National Pest Plant Accord prohibiting its sale, commercial propagation and distribution.[6]

References

  1. ISBN 0-304-52257-0
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-86417-993-6
    .
  3. ^ "Ochna serrulata". PlantZAfrica.com. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  4. ^ "Overview of the Ochna serrulata" (PDF). hear.org. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  5. ^ "Weeds Australia - Weed Identification - Ochna". Australian Weeds Committee. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  6. ^ PressReader

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ochna serrulata.
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