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Kiggelaria africana
Achariaceae FAMILY

Kiggelaria africana

Kiggelaria africana

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

Succeeds in subtropical to tropical climates and in fairly dry to moister areas[1]. Reasonably frost-hardy, the plant tolerates occasional temperatures down to around - 2°c, and is also found where daytime temperatures can be as high as 36°c[2]. Prefers a soil rich in organic matter[2]. Grows best in a sunny position[2].The plant likes a moderate amount of water[2], but is also drought-tolerant[1]. Plants have non-aggressive root systems[2]. With good conditions, young plants grow fast and can flower when only two years old[2]. The plant has a natural tendency to branch from low down, so you need to prune away the lower branches early on if you want a tree shape[2]. A very variable species[3]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - sow in containers and prick out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Seedlings are best planted out by the time they are 30cm tall to prevent them becoming pot-bound[2]. Cuttings. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Kiggelaria+africana>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
  3. [3]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  4. [4]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.