Rhus lucida
Encyclopedia
Rhus lucida, Varnished Kuni-Rhus (English) Blinktaaibos (Afrikaans). This small tree has a distribution along the West Coast of South Africa
from Saldanha Bay
around the Cape
and up the East Coast almost until the Mozambique
border. Its distribution area also encompasses the whole of Kwazulu-Natal
and stretches in an arm past Swaziland
, right up the Lowveld areas of Mpumalanga
and into Limpopo Province, almost to the Zimbabwe
border. The tree seldom reaches a height of more than 2 metres and has attractive shiny leaves. It is found in scrub or forest areas from sea level to 2000 metres above. It produces small, creamy-white flowers, which bear fruits 4 mm in diameter, which are initially green and turn shiny brown as they mature. The fruits are eaten by birds.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
from Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa, north west of Cape Town. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality in 2000. The current population of...
around the Cape
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and up the East Coast almost until the Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
border. Its distribution area also encompasses the whole of Kwazulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
and stretches in an arm past Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, right up the Lowveld areas of Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
and into Limpopo Province, almost to the Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
border. The tree seldom reaches a height of more than 2 metres and has attractive shiny leaves. It is found in scrub or forest areas from sea level to 2000 metres above. It produces small, creamy-white flowers, which bear fruits 4 mm in diameter, which are initially green and turn shiny brown as they mature. The fruits are eaten by birds.