Tree Wisteria

Vanwykshout · Bolusanthus speciosus

A protected showpiece tree that puts on a brief, spectacular flowering display before the leaves are fully out. For much of the year it is an unremarkable slim tree.

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How to identify it

A small, slender deciduous tree with drooping foliage and rough, grey, furrowed bark. In spring it is unmistakable, covered in cascading sprays of blue-mauve, pea-like flowers.

Flowers & fruit

Spring to early summer (roughly Aug-Jan), with hanging blue-mauve flower sprays

Browsed by

Foliage browsed lightly by game such as kudu; it is grown more for its flowers than as a major browse plant.

Where to see it in Kruger

Scattered in wooded grassland and rocky areas, more often in the central and northern parts of the park.

Did you know

The straight, extremely hard, termite-resistant stems make prized fence posts and lathe-turned items, which is why Afrikaans calls it Vanwykshout (Van Wyk's wood).

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