Brachylaena discolor

This is a beautiful shrub or small tree. The foliage is wonderful-leathery leaves are dark green on top and silvery below. The whole plant looks silvery-blue from the distance. If pruned up into a tree it can be grown as a single or multi-trunk and will have v-shaped branching. Will usually grow to 20’ although in a forest it can reach 70’ tall. The flowers are creamy-white and occur in clusters that look like little thistles and cover the entire tree when in bloom in late winter and early spring. The flowers are nectar rich and are popular with beekeepers in South Africa, where the tree is native. It is considered the best wood for carving after African black ebony. The leaves and roots are used medicinally. And the stems are used by Zulu diviners to communicate with ancestors. It has a non-invasive root system so it is a good choice for a street tree. Fast growing, makes an excellent privacy screen. Found in coastal woodlands, needs good drainage. Listed as hardy - but how hardy, I don’t know.

Kelly Kilpatrick-Prop.