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| Category: Tree |
| Family: Papilionoideae |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Flower Color: Blue Violet |
| Bloomtime: Spring |
| Height: 20-30 feet |
| Width: 15-25 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Bolusanthus speciosus (African Wisteria Tree) - A shortly deciduous slow growing tree that eventually reaches 20 to 25 feet in height, usually with multiple stems that have rough gray-brown bark that is deeply fissured. These stems hold pinnately compounded drooping leaves that drop off only for a short period in early spring with new leaves emerging just as or before the summer blue-violet flowers appear in spring to early summer. The flowers are held are in pendulous tresses much like those of Wistera that can completely cover the tree and are followed by grayish pods. Plant in full sun and water occasionally – tolerates some drought conditions and is hardy to a moderate frost once woody stems have developed. The tree wisteria is considered one the most spectacular of the South African trees, looking much like a jacaranda in full splendor when in bloom. It has not been grown much in California but likely should be, especially in warmer areas. An older tree is located on the campus of University of Arizona and it is recommended by the National Botanic Garden of South Africa for its beauty and because it reportedly has a non-invasive root system. It is most often a multi stemmed plant but can be trained to a single trunk. Bolusanthus speciosus is widespread in wooded grasslands in southern Africa, from as far north as Angola and Zambia down to KwaZulu-Natal in the south. It is a monotypic genus with a name that interestingly honors both the person who first described it, Harry Bolus (1834 - 1911) a South African botanist, and the beautiful aspect of the plant by combining this with the Greekword 'anthos' which means "flower". Bolus, who later created the Bolus Herbarium, described the plant in 1889 as Lonchocarpus speciosus but German taxonomist and botanist Hermann August Theodor Harms (1870 - 1942) reclassified it and gave it the name Bolusanthus speciosus in 1906. We originally grew this plant from seed received from The National Botanic Garden of South African at Kirstenbosch in 1988 and listed it in our catalogs from 1990 until 1995.
The information about Bolusanthus speciosus displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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