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Drypetes arguta
Also called African Oak, Bastard White Ironwood, False White Ironwood, Water Drypetes
Drypetes arguta is a small tree or large straggling shrub from tropical East and southern Africa, growing up to about 8 m, usually found in forest and near watercourses. It is rarely grown in gardens, so care is mostly set by its natural forest and streamside habitat.
Drypetes arguta, commonly known as the water ironplum, is a species of small tree or large bush in the family Putranjivaceae. It is native to tropical East Africa. It was first described in 1920 by the English botanist John Hutchinson, who named it Cyclostemon argutus. It was later transferred to the genus Drypetes.
Drypetes arguta is native to eastern Africa where its range extends from Tanzania and Zimbabwe, southwards to Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal). It grows in forests and alongside water-courses, at elevations of up to 600 m (2,000 ft). It is also a major constituent of the flora of the Southern African Sand Forest, a habitat consisting of woodland growing on ancient sand dunes located on the border between southern Mozambique and northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Sections of branches of this tree have traditionally been used in hut construction, and the wood has also been used to make sticks. The fruits are edible and have been used to make a fermented alcoholic drink.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Drypetes arguta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
