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Figure 3.21 The leaves of Trichilia dregeana.
(www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/trichildreg.htm).
Its creamy-white flowers with petals that are velvety on both surfaces and 1. 4 – 2.4
cm in length are produced from October to December and borne in dense, branched,
axillary inflorescences.
Figure 3.22 Flowering stage of Trichilia dregeana.
(www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/trichildreg.htm).
Its fruits are round, velvety capsules, which are 3 cm in diameter and usually split
into 3 valves. On splitting, the capsules reveal 6 very attractive seeds. These seeds,
which are black in colour, are covered largely in a bright red to scarlet aril, regarded
as a striking and distinctive feature of the tree. Fruiting occurs mainly between
January and May (Palgrave et al. 2002).
Distribution
The forest mahogany is a fairly widespread species, stretching from Pondoland in
the south up through Swaziland, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province, into
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