Celastraceae
Pleurostylia africana
Northern coffee-pear
T
Available in our catalogue
We propagate this species and you can order it from our catalogue.
View in catalogue →About
This species is a shrub or small unarmed tree, typically reaching 1 to 20 metres tall, developing a rounded crown. It features grey bark that becomes dark and rough with age, and young branchlets that are pale and distinctly 4-angled or 4-lined. Its oblong-elliptic leaves are glossy bright to dark green above, paler below, and can measure up to 10 x 4 cm, often displaying a purple tinge when young. Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and unpleasantly scented, developing into green, slightly asymmetric obovoid-ellipsoid fruits up to 8 x 3 mm.
Where it works in Kilifi
Native to coastal Kenya, this tree thrives along forest margins, in woodlands, and on rocky hillsides, often associated with termite mounds. It is suitable for a Kilifi-coast garden in well-drained soils and can be planted as a specimen or for shade in areas receiving full sun to partial shade.
Growing notes
Adapted to seasonally dry tropical biomes and well-drained soils, this tree is likely drought-tolerant once established. Specific growth rates are not detailed, but its natural habitat suggests it is hardy in warm, tropical conditions.
Sources
Researched with web grounding from: zambiaflora.com, zimbabweflora.co.zw, africanplantdatabase.ch, jstor.org, kew.org, nih.gov. Please verify with local knowledge before relying on these notes.