Myrsine africana
Encyclopedia
Myrsine africana is a species of shrub
in the Myrsinaceae
family. It is indigenous to South Asia
and Africa
. It typically has dense, dark-green to red foliage and produces tiny bright purple berries.
The shrub can achieve heights of over 2 meters and may be dense if pruned or grown in strong sunlight. The fine-foothed leaves are at first deep red, but on maturity become glossy and dark green. The cream-coloured flowers appear in spring, with the male flowers boasting red anthers
. Separate shrubs produce either male or female flowers, with the female plants also producing purple berries.
The hardy plant is long-lived. It is increasingly popular for topiaries
and small hedges generally, as it can so readily be pruned and shaped.
The shrub sends up occasional shoots from its root system that go on to form new plants. It propagates easily from seed.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
in the Myrsinaceae
Myrsinaceae
Myrsinaceae, or the Myrsine family, is a rather large family from the order Ericales. It consists of 35 genera and about 1000 species....
family. It is indigenous to South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It typically has dense, dark-green to red foliage and produces tiny bright purple berries.
The shrub can achieve heights of over 2 meters and may be dense if pruned or grown in strong sunlight. The fine-foothed leaves are at first deep red, but on maturity become glossy and dark green. The cream-coloured flowers appear in spring, with the male flowers boasting red anthers
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
. Separate shrubs produce either male or female flowers, with the female plants also producing purple berries.
The hardy plant is long-lived. It is increasingly popular for topiaries
Topiary
Topiary is the horticultural practice of training live perennial plants, by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, perhaps geometric or fanciful; and the term also refers to plants which have been shaped in this way. It can be...
and small hedges generally, as it can so readily be pruned and shaped.
The shrub sends up occasional shoots from its root system that go on to form new plants. It propagates easily from seed.