Oleaceae FAMILY
Olea capensis
Olea capensis
Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
None known
Botanical Description
Black ironwood is an evergreen bushy shrub or a small tree, usually growing up to 10 metres tall, though occasional specimens may be much larger, occasionally reaching 40 metres[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ]. The tree is often harvested from the wild for its high quality timber. It also provides an edible fruit and has some medicinal qualities.
Habitat & Origin
Origintropical
Native RangeTropical Africa - drier areas of Sierra Leone to Somalia, south through eastern Africa to S. Africa.
HabitatOccurring in bush, littoral scrub and evergreen forest in situations where temperatures are relatively low and, apart from diurnal fluctuations, fairly constant temperatures throughout the year[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ]. It can be a dominant tree in woodland[ 303 Title World Agroforesty Centre Publication Author Website http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc. ].