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Ekebergia capensis
Meliaceae FAMILY

Ekebergia capensis

Ekebergia capensis

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

Bark and roots have been used as ordeal poisons[1]. The bark contains the toxic compound 8-methoxy 4-methyl coumarin[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthMedium

A plant of drier to moist subtropical and tropical climates, where it is found at elevations up to 3,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 26°c, but can tolerate 12 - 38°c[2]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -1°c or lower, but young growth is severely damaged at 0°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,500mm[2]. Prefers a sunny position[2]. Grows best in a well-drained, light to medium soil of moderate fertility[2]. The plant grows well when given lots of water, but once established can tolerate light drought conditions[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5[2]. The tree is fairly fast growing; growth rates of up to 1 metre per year have been reported[1]. The flowers are fragrant[4]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[1, 4].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak stored seeds in water for a day and then scrub with a brush to remove the fleshy part[3]. Sow in trays filled with river sand or normal potting soil, plant not deeper than 5mm. They germinate in 4 - 8 weeks[3]. Tip or hardwood cuttings can be planted in trays filled with river sand or can be planted directly into the ground as truncheons[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ekebergia+capensis>

Pollinators

Bees, Ants

References

  1. [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  2. [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  3. [3]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
  4. [4]Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. — Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D · Frontier · http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm · ISBN 1-873070-33-0 ↩︎A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet.
  5. [5]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  6. [6]Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. — Chudnoff. Martin. · USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. · 1984 ↩︎Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.
  7. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎