Description
The Black Ironwood is a bushy shrub, or a small to medium sized tree, up to 10 metres (33 ft) in height, occasionally reaching 40 metres (130 ft).
- Bark: light grey, becoming dark grey and vertically fissured with age; a characteristic blackish gum is exuded from bark wounds.
- Leaves: light to dark green and glossy above and paler green below; petiole often purplish, 0.3-1.7 cm long; lanceolate-oblong to almost circular, 3-10 x 1.5-5 cm.
- Flowers: white or cream and sweetly scented, small and in many flowered axillary or terminal heads, bisexual, 3-15 cm long.
- Fruit: when ripe they are somewhat succulent purplish drupes; ovoid up to 2 x 1 cm.
Read more about this topic: Olea Capensis
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