Agathosma crenulata (L.) Pillans

Buchu (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Agathosma

Characteristics

Shrub up to 2.5 m high with glabrous or partly puberulous branchlets. Leaves mostly 1.5-3.5 cm long, opposite, erect-spreading, lanceolate, ovate-or oblong-lanceolate, sometimes ovate or obovate, obtuse or truncate, cuneate at the base, flat or slightly convex above, serrate, with small scattered glands beneath and larger glands at the margin, conspicuously nerved beneath, glabrous. Flowers solitary at the ends of short, often leafless axillary branchlets. Peduncles 1.5 mm long, glabrous or sparsely puberulous, subtended by lanceolate bracteoles. Sepals 3.5 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, ciliolate, obtusely keeled. Petals 7-9 mm long, ovate, obtuse, cuneate and ciliate at the base, slightly concave above, usually with many glands beneath near the nerve. Stamens with filaments villous on the lower half. Staminodes 3-3.5 mm long, lanceolate, obtuse, concave above, membranous, ciliolate, with a gland behind the apex. Disk fleshy, crenulate. Ovary with 5 carpels having a row of minute stalked glands on the margins, and bearing ovate-rotund dorsally compressed processes involute at the base and sparsely pubescent above. Style villous on the lower half, recurved in the upper half.
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A small evergreen shrub. It grows 1-2 m high. and spreads 1-2 m across. It is like a heath. The leaves are oval and have teeth. The leaves are 3.5 cm long. They have obvious oil glands. They have a small like blackcurrant. The flowers are white and have 5 petals. The anthers are purple.
Single-stemmed shrub to 2.5 m, intensely aromatic. Flowers 1(-3) in leaf axils, relatively large, white or mauve, carpels 5.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 1.0 - 2.0
Mature height (meter) 1.75 - 2.25
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Heaths. Cool sheltered ravines of middle mountain slopes and valleys, usually in heavy soils and near streams.
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It is a temperate plant. It needs a temperature above 5°C.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 5-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-9

Usage

The leaves are used to flavour brandy and wine and other foods. Extracts are used to give a blackcurrant flavour.
Uses environmental use food material medicinal
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Medicine (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown by seed or by cuttings. Cuttings need to be in sand above 13-18°C.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Agathosma crenulata unspecified picture

Distribution

Agathosma crenulata world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:770900-1
WFO ID wfo-0000523397
COL ID 662VG
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Parapetalifera crenulata Agathosma crenulata Barosma crenulata Agathosma latifolia Barosma odorata Bucco crenata Diosma crenata Diosma crenulata Diosma latifolia Diosma odorata Parapetalifera odorata Barosma crenata