|
Sutherlandia frutescens
Sutherlandia frutescens (cancer bush,[2] balloon pea, Cape Blader Pea, sutherlandia, phetola ("it changes") in seTswana, and insiswa ("the one that drives away the darkness") in isiZulu; syn. Colutea frutescens L., Lessertia frutescens (L.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning) is a southern African legume in the Sweet Pea Family (Papilionaceae). It is a shrub with bitter, aromatic leaves. Red-orange flowers appear in spring to mid-summer.[3] These are followed by puffy pea pods filled with an unspecified gas in addition to the seeds.[4] CultivationSutherlandia frutescens is a small bush growing up to about 1 m (39 in) high. It is native to dry parts of southern Africa, preferring full sun but tolerant of a wide variety of soil types. It is a tough, hardy, fast growing and drought tolerant but short lived plant. Seeds germinate readily in around two to three weeks and established plants self-seed readily. Seedlings may be vulnerable to damping off, but provided it is in well-drained soil, it grows readily and is not very vulnerable to pests.[3] References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
