Kingdom Plantae Family Anacardiaceae Scientific name Rhus dentata | Order Sapindales Genus Rhus Rank Species | |
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Similar Rhus batophylla, Searsia leptodictya, Rhus angustifolia, Rhus glauca, Searsia lucida | ||
Rhus dentata, the nana-berry (English), or nanabessie (Afrikaans), is a medium sized, deciduous tree, reaching a height of about 5 metres and a spread of 4 metres, and with a tendency to scramble through and over neighbouring trees. It occurs naturally in almost the whole of South Africa except the Western and Northern Cape Provinces. Its habitat varies from sea level to the highlands of the Drakensberg. It is frost-hardy and should be planted in full sun. The strongly aromatic leaves are usually conspicuously toothed (hence the name dentata), though sometimes they may be only slightly toothed. The tree produces small, creamy-white flowers in masses, developing into small, flattened drupes (5-6mm) which turn red or orange when ripe and brown when dry. The ripe fruits are eaten by birds, while the foliage is food for the larvae of the pepper tree moth Bombycomorpha bifascia.
