Buddleja saligna Willd.
false olive · witolien (Afr.)
Photo: AVNPlants
Fast, evergreen small tree with honey-scented cream flowers; a quick screen, hedge or pioneer tree.
What’s in the name: Buddleja: honours Adam Buddle, an English clergyman-botanist; saligna: "willow-like".
“The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout”
— Lao Tzu (tr. James Legge), Tao Te Ching ch. 64 – Tao Te Ching, tr. James Legge (1891), Project Gutenberg
Available from AVNPlants: see the availability list.
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Conservation status
Least Concern, SANBI Red List of South African Plants
Natural distribution & habitat
Widespread from the Western Cape to Zimbabwe, and inland as far as the Kalahari thornveld and the central interior. Varied habitats: dry hillsides, scrub, wooded valleys, forest edges, stream banks and coastal bush.
Size & form
Usually a tree of 4–5 m on the Highveld, reaching about 10 m in warm, moist areas.
Flowering
August to January; small honey-scented flowers in masses.
Uses in landscaping
- Quick screen or clipped hedge
- Pioneer tree in a forest/woodland planting
- Waterwise: drought resistant and frost hardy
Care notes
Grows in most soils; compost improves it. Trim after flowering to keep it neat.
Wildlife value
Flowers draw insects, especially moths, which in turn bring insect-eating birds such as robins and apalises.
Find out more
In the garden
Photos courtesy of the Mostert family, with our thanks for looking after our plant “children” so beautifully.
Facts checked against: SANBI PlantZAfrica species page 'Buddleja saligna'; SANBI Red List of South African Plants, Buddleja saligna Willd. (assessment 2005/06/30).