Where to find this tree easily

Brittlewood Nuxia grows singly among other tree species.
It is easiest to find in rocky areas on south- or east-facing slopes as well as on hotter rocky ridges.

AFRIKAANS Broshout Witsalie, Gewone Wildevlier   N. SOTHO Motlhabare   TSWANA Mokwêrêkwêrê   VENDA Muteteneka   XHOSA umKhobeza   ZULU umKhobeza

Nuxia  is after M de la Nux, French botanist on the island of Reunion, around the end of the 18th Century; congesta refers to the ‘many-flowered’ flower-head.

GIFF

•   This is a multi-trunked tree with crooked stems.
•   Branches grow upwards to form a moderate, round canopy.
•   The shiny leaves are arranged in groups of three around the twigs.
•   The delicate, white flowers grow in large, attractive, dense sprays at the tips of twigs.

Sweet-scented flowers with leaves arranged in groups of three.

Seasonal Changes

Evergreen. This tree can be identified by its leaves throughout the year..

Growth form

Bark

The pale brown to grey bark is rough and finely fissured lengthways, loosely peeling in longish strips. Older twigs and branchlets are smooth and grey. Young, velvety twigs are square, and are often red, or pale.

The simple, broadly elliptic leaves have margins that are usually smooth, but sometimes toothed, and the base and tips taper to a point. Leaves may be shiny and smooth, or hairy, or covered by blue scales that can be rubbed off. The leaf-stalks are short (Leaf: 10 - 80 x 6 - 40 mm).

Fruit

Flowers

Conspicuous, white, sweet-scented flowers appear long  after the first flower-buds are visible. They are star-shaped and grow in dense, compact heads at the ends of the twigs ( March -Jul) (Spray: 70 - 90mm; individual: 3-5 mm).

The wood is good for engraving, makes very good fence posts, and has been used for building.

Bees pollinate the flowers.