The Wildebeest's guide to South Africa
Cape Honeysuckle
Afrikaans name: Kaapse Kanferoelie
Cape Honeysuckle
Photo © Steven Herbert
Tecoma capensis
The Cape Honeysuckle is a popular plant amongst gardeners. It gets masses of orange fowers throughout the year. Cultivated varieties with yellow flowers have been developed.
This is a shrub that can grow to heights of 2.5 to 4 metres. It has rather an untidy, scraggly appearance.
The flowers attract bees, butterflies and various species of birds. Sunbirds in particular are drawn to the flowers. Some mammals browse on the plant at times.
In South Africa its distribution is along the eastern regions of the country from Port Elizabeth to Limpopo. It is normally found along or near forest edges.
References and further reading
Trees of Southern Africa - 3rd edition - Author: Keith Coates Palgrave - Published: 2002 - Page: 1007The Gardener - 2017/04 - Author: - Published: 2017 - Page: 35
Sappi Wild Flower Guide - Mpumalanga and Northern Province - Author: Jo Onderstall - Published: 1996 - Page: 186
Sasol First Field Guide to Wild Flowers of Southern Africa - Author: John Manning - Published: 1999 - Page: 20
Readers Digest Illustrated Guide to the Game Parks and Nature Reserves of Southe - Author: Editor - Alan Duggan - Published: 1991 - Page: 393
Indigenous Beginnings - Author: Anneke Kearney - Published: 2008 - Page: 73
Indigenous Garden Plants of Southern Africa - Author: Glenice Ebedes - Published: 2017 - Page: 113
Gardening with Indigenous Shrubs - Author: David and Sally Johnson, Geoff Nichols - Published: 2002 - Page: 104
Game Ranger in your Backpack - Author: Megan Emmett and Sean Pattrick - Published: 2013 - Page: 323
Garden Birds in South Africa - Author: Duncan Butchart - Published: 2017 - Page: 170
Discovering Wild Flowers in Southern Africa - 2nd edition - Author: Sima Eliovson - Published: 1969 - Page: 184
Field Guide to Wild Flowers of South Africa - Author: John Manning - Published: 2009 - Page: 440
A Photographic Guide to Wild Flowers of South Africa - Author: Braam van Wyk - Published: 2000 - Page: 63
A Field Guide to Wild Flowers in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region - Author: Elsa Pooley - Published: 2005 - Page: 76