Deinbollia oblongifolia

Dune Soap-berry
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Sapindaceae
Genus:	Deinbollia
Species:	D. oblongifolia
Binomial name
Deinbollia oblongifolia (E. May. ex Arn.) Radlk.
Synonyms
Hippobromus oblongifolius

Deinbollia oblongifolia is a shrub or small tree in the family Sapindaceae. It is commonly known as the Dune Soap-berry and is found in coastal vegetation from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, through KwaZulu-Natal^[1] to southern Mozambique and Swaziland.

Description

These plants can grow up to 9 m tall.^[1] The stem often branches low down and the bark is grey-brown in colour. The leaves are compound, up to 500 mm long and clustered at the ends of the branches.^[1] The flowers are white^[1] or cream^[2] in colour, and produced on branched flowering heads at the ends of the branches.^[1] The fruit are rounded; green and velvety when young to yellow and smooth when ripe.^[1] The Dune Soap-berry may be confused with a young Forest Mahogany (Trichilia dregeana) because of the similar shaped compound leaves, however the Dune Soap-berry has paler green slightly matt leaves compared to the Forest Mahogany, which has a darker green leaf that is slightly more glossy.^[2] The leaves of the Dune Soap-berry are also hard textured (when mature) and not held flat as in Trichilia dregeana.^[1]

Uses

The fruit are eaten by people.^[1][2] The leaves can be eaten as spinach, and the seeds can be lathered in water and used as soap (hence the name "soap-berry").^[2] The roots are used in traditional Zulu medicine for stomach complaints.^[1] These shrubs are also valuable garden plants, especially in wildlife gardens.^[2]

Ecological Significance

The flowers attract hordes of insects^[3] including; moths, butterflies, bees, wasps, ants^[1] and beetles. The leaves are fed on by the larvae of several butterflies, including; Gold-banded Forester (Euphaedra neophron), Forest Queen (Euxanthe wakefieldi) and the Purple-brown Hairstreak (Hypolycaena philippus).^[4] Various Deudorix butterfly species' larvae also feed on these trees,^[3] including the larvae of the Black-and-orange Playboy (Deudorix dariaves)^[2] and the Apricot Playboy (Deudorix dinochares)^[5] which both eat the fruits of Deinbollia oblongifolia. The larvae of the African Peach Moth (Egybolis vaillantina) also feed on the leaves,^[5][6] and the fruit are also eaten by birds (including the Sombre Greenbul (Andropadus importunus)^[2]) and monkeys.^[1] Charaxes butterflies feed on the fermenting fruits,^[2] and the Green-veined Charaxes (Charaxes candiope), Pearl Charaxes (Charaxes ), Satyr Charaxes (Charaxes ethalion), Forest-king Charaxes (Charaxes xiphares), White-barred Charaxes (Charaxes brutus) and the Natal Tree Nymph (Sevenia natalensis) have all been observed feeding on the sap of Deinbollia oblongifolia.^[5] Furthermore these trees are browsed by game animals.^[1]

Gallery

Compound leaves   Compound leaves   Fruit and branches   Green fruit   Ripe fruit   Telchinia encedon on flowers of Deinbollia oblongifolia   Leptotes pirithous on the flowers

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Pooley, E. (1993). The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei. ISBN 0-620-17697-0.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Nichols, G (2009). Dune Soap-berry Deinbollia oblongifolia: http://www.birdinfo.co.za/botanical/fruit/52_deinbollia_oblongifolia.htm, retrieved 03 January 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b} Quickelberge, C. (1986). A Wildlife Handbook; Familiar South African Butterflies. ISBN 0-949966-95-9
4. ^ Williams, M. (1994). Butterflies of Southern Africa; A Field Guide. ISBN 1-86812-516-5
5. ^ ^{a b c} Biodiversity data provided by: Data contributors to the Southern African Butterfly Conservation Assessment (SABCA) (list of contributors accessible here: http://sabca.adu.org.za/thanks.php), a joint project of the South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Animal Demography Unit, University of Cape Town, and the Lepidopterists' Society of Africa (accessed via SABCA’s online virtual museum, http://sabca.adu.org.za/vm_redirect.php, 03 January 2010).
6. ^ Boon, R. (2010). Pooley's Trees of Eastern South Africa; A Complete Guide. ISBN 978-0-620-46019-4.

See also

• KwaZulu-Natal Dune Forest
• KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Lowland Forest
• Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot