Acacia xanthoploea

Click on an image to enlarge it.

Botanical Name

Acacia xanthoploea

Family

Fabaceae - The legume and pod-bearing family. (Pea & Bean Family)

Pronunciation

uh-KAY-shuh zan-tho-PLEE-ah

Common Name(s)

Fever tree, Koorsboom, mooka-kwena (N. Sotho), umHlosinga (Z), nkelenga (Tsonga), munzhelenga (Venda).

Plant Group

Tree A woody, self-supporting perennial plant usually with a single main stem and generally growing more than 6 meters tall.

Plant Size

Medium to Large

Tree 15m to 20m

Shrub 2m to 3m

Perennial/ground cover 60cm to 75cm

Bulb 60cm to 1m

Succulent 60cm to 1m

Position

Sun The area is in full sun for all or most of the day, all year round.

General Information

Deciduous to Semi-deciduous In warmer areas a deciduous plant may not lose its leaves during winter at all, or may lose its leaves for a very brief period, or may only lose part of its foliage.
Drought Tolerance: Low The plant is unable to survive drought and needs to be watered.
Fragrant / Aromatic These plants posses a strong, usually pleasant odour.
Frost: Half-hardy The plant is able to survive low temperatures and some frost but requires protection against severe frost.
Roots Invasive Do not plant near pools, paving, walls or buildings.
Water Loving Plants need a regular supply of water and must not be allowed to dry out for any length of time.

Specific Information

Invariably found near a source of water: either where underground water is found or in swampy areas. Graceful branches, sparse leaves, flattish crown. Unusual and attractive greenish-yellow bark.

Flowers

Description

Small clusters of sweetly scented, round, fluffy flowers.

Season

Spring Plants will seldom bloom for the entire season as given in the list, but should flower during a period within these parameters.

Colour

yellow

Growth Rate

Fast Specifying growth rate can be very misleading as there is considerable variation of growth rate depending on type and species of plant, available water, supplementary feeding, mulching and general care, as well as the plants suitability and adaptability to the garden environment.

Plant Uses

Accent or Focal Point A plant used to attract the attention because of its colour or form.
Attracts bees and other insects This plant attracts insects which can be food for birds or other creatures in your garden.
Attracts Birds This plant will attract birds.
Provides light / dappled shade A tree with an open to sparse canopy, through which varying degrees of sunlight can penetrate.
Rock Garden An area constructed of larger rocks, arranged naturally, to emphasise the use of stones as a main element. Generally plants used do not need a lot of care.

Ad Break

Distribution

Endemic to Kwazulu-Natal, the lowveld, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Planting Suggestions

As the Fever tree needs plenty of water for rapid initial growth, the plentiful use of compost and mulch is highly recommended. For optimum growth follow the instructions for planting a tree in the blog article below:

See this blog post for more information.

Medicinal Uses

The bark is used for treating fevers and eye complaints.

Availability