Ilex mitis
  • Ilex mitis
  • Ilex mitis

Ilex mitis

R995.00
SKU: Ilex_mitis
* Tree Size:

Capr Holly

lex mitis (commonly called Cape holly, African holly, waterboom or umDuma) is a tall, dense, evergreen tree that is indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It makes an excellent fast-growing hedge for gardens - growing tall, straight and dense.

This is the only holly (Ilex) species native to sub-Saharan Africa. It has a wide but discontinuous distribution in west, central, east, and southern Africa.

It has an Afromontane distribution. In tropical Africa it is mostly found at higher elevations, growing as high as 3,150 meters.

In West Africa it is found in high-elevation forests in the Guinea Highlands of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and in the Cameroon Highlands of Nigeria and Cameroon. It inhabits the islands of Bioko, Sao Tomé, and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. It is found throughout the highlands of eastern Africa, including the Ethiopian Highlands and the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley. It is also native to the central highlands of Angola and the highlands of Madagascar.[1]

In southern Africa it inhabits the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In South Africa it grows naturally in all provinces, from Cape Town in the south to the border with Zimbabwe. It is usually found growing on the banks of rivers and in moist spots in Afro-montane forest, as low as sea level along the southern coast.[1]

It is most often found in moist montane forests and in riparian forests. It is also found in high-elevation thickets, and in open-canopied forests in association with Podocarpus latifolius and Syzygium guineense. In Ethiopia it grows in association with Galiniera saxifraga between 1,950 and 2,340 meters elevation. Young trees grow best in sun or light shade, and mature trees tolerate drought and frost.

Contact Us

Please use the form below to contact us for any reason.