Not only is African Honeysuckle, Halleria lucida, a beautiful fruit tree and an asset to any garden, it is as well one of the best bird appealing trees. It is a member of the Scrophulariaceae family, genus Halleria. Trees are rather rare in this family; most of the members are nonwoody plants.

The African Honeysuckle is a shapely, evergreen small fruit tree or large bush, often multi-stemmed, with a spreading out crown and attractive shiny green foliage on arched and drooping branches. The flowers are splashy, tubular, yellow, orange to brick-red, very rich in nectar and are developed in bundles in the axils of leaves and on short shoots on the old wood, even on the main tree trunk.

Bundles of 10 mm in diameter, spherical green berries that become juicy and black when ready, follow the flowers. These are edible, but never too tasty. They have a kind of sweet taste that tends to dry the mouth. The seeds are very small black flakes in the gelatinous flesh of the fruit.

The African Honeysuckle tree is tough, easy and fast growing and an asset to any garden, this small, evergreen fruit tree or large bush from South Africa. It flourishes under many different conditions and it is comparatively hardy to frost, -7C. It can with success grow in both sun and bright shade, it likes water but does endure drought once established. It is excellent for growing in large containers.

Propagation is by softwood or nonwoody cuttings, or heel cuttings which should be taken from actively growing shoots in spring to early summertime or in fall, dosed with a rooting hormone and positioned in a propagator with periodical mist and bottom heat of 28C.

Taking root should take place inside 6 weeks, and the new rooted cuttings necessitate a weaning time period of 1 month. It could also be propagated by seed which most effectively be sown in springtime to mid-summer.

African Honeysuckle, halleria lucida, Tree Fuchsia