Botanical name

Buddleja auriculata (SA No 636.5)

Other names

Weeping sagewood, treursalie (Afrikaans)

Family

Loganiaceae, the wild elder family OR Buddlejaceae(?)

Dimensions

A bushy shrub, occasionaly a small tree, 3 to 4 m

Description of stem

Light brown and rough; stringy

Description of leaves

Simple ovate to lanceolate leaves that often droop, dark green above, greyish white and hairy below; finely furrowed on top, distinctive netveining; margins toothed; evergreen

Description of flowers

Variable colouring from lilac, cream to yellow; scented

Description of seed/fruit

Small brown capsule

Description of roots

Variation

Propagation and cultivation

Common garden plant; easy to grow, commonly done from wood cuttings

Tolerances

Uses

Favoured garden plant, valued for attracting butterflies and other insects, thus becoming a feeding area for insect eating birds

Ecological rarity

Pests and diseases

Other

Location

Bushy forest areas

Distribution (SA provinces)

Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape

Country

South Africa; Lesotho; Swaziland; Zimbabwe; Mozambique