Читать книгу Madeira - Susanne Lipps - Страница 29

In the Gardens

Cape Chestnut Tree

Calodendrum capense

Bloom time

From May to July.

Characteristics

The tree reaches a height of 7-15 m (7,5-16,5 yd.) and has a smooth trunk with many branches and a broad canopy. The leaves are up to 20 cm (8‘‘) long and remind of Sweet Chestnut Trees but appear separately. The conical inflo-rescences are pink and consist of numerous blooms which each have five narrow petals.

Site:

The Cape Chestnut Tree does not appear very frequently on Madeira. Occasionally you may find it in several parks and gardens, most-ly in the municipal area of Funchal or for example in the Palheiro Gardens (191).

Interesting to know:

The Cape Chestnut Tree originates from re-gions that are close to the South African coast. It was introduced as an ornamental plant in many tropical and subtropical countries for its attractive blossoms. The plant is a member of the Rue family (Rutaceae) and thus is not closely related to the Sweet Chestnut Tree, which belongs to the Beech family (Fagaceae). Horse Chestnut Trees make up another family. Rutaceae are nearly exclusively found in warm-er zones of the earth. Both leaves and fruits contain ethereal oils. Oranges and lemons are popular representatives of the Rue family.

29