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Virgilia
Virgilia is a genus of two Southern African trees, with keurboom (V. divaricata) being the best known. They grow very fast, reaching 15 to 20 m, and are valued as quick privacy and wind-screen trees, though they are short-lived and often fall over as they mature.
Virgilia is a genus of Southern African trees in the family Fabaceae that is known for its very fast growth (4.5 m in 2 years) and a tendency to fall over as it matures (15 years or so). The common name in South Africa (in Afrikaans) is keurboom, meaning 'choice tree'. Valued as useful ornamental trees by gardeners, the genus's two species are also known as tree-in-a-hurry, Cape lilac, blossom tree and pink blossom tree.
Growing in full sun to partially shade, they prefer well drained soils; some will then grow 2m in the first season. They will tolerate wind and have dense foliage growing close to the ground, so they are useful as pioneer species for privacy and wind protection, despite having a comparatively short life (15 years). Popular in the UK since the 18th century or so, they are also now commonly present in the USA and Australia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Virgilia (plant) 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.
