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Ochna serrulata

small-leaved plane

Ochnaceae Eastern South Africa

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 9–11

Overview

Ochna serrulata is an evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub reaching 3-6.5 feet (1-2 m) tall and 3-5 feet (0.9-1.5 m) wide, with an upright, multi-stemmed form. The glossy dark green leaves are elliptic, 0.8-2 inches (2-5 cm) long, with finely serrated margins and a leathery texture, and new growth emerges bronze-pink. Yellow five-petalled flowers about 0.8 inch (2 cm) across open in spring and last only a few days before the petals drop. After flowering the green sepals enlarge, turn bright red, and reflex backward while the receptacle swells. Glossy green drupelets sit on the red receptacle and ripen to black, with up to five or six per cluster. Ochna serrulata spreads by bird-dispersed seed and is recorded as an environmental weed in coastal New South Wales and southeast Queensland, where it colonises bushland and forms a deep taproot that resists hand removal. It tolerates a range of soils and dry spells once established, though growth is slow and seed-grown plants may take several years to flower. Frost limits its cultivation to USDA zones 9-11.

Native Range

Native to eastern South Africa, including the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where it grows on grassland margins and in open woodland. It has naturalised widely in eastern Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the Pacific.

Suggested Uses

Grown as an informal screen, low hedge, or single specimen in subtropical and warm-temperate gardens. In regions where it is classed as an environmental weed, it is being replaced with non-invasive local species.

How to Identify

Identify Ochna serrulata by its glossy, finely toothed elliptic leaves and the bright red, reflexed sepals that persist after the yellow petals fall. The black drupelets seated on the swollen red receptacle separate it from similar shrubs. New stems are slender and grey-brown with raised lenticels.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 6'6"

Width/Spread3' - 5'

Colors

Flower Colors

yellow

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~4 weeks

Spring

Yellow flowers appear in spring, around October to November in the southern hemisphere and April to May where grown in the northern hemisphere. Each flower lasts only a few days, but the red sepal display and ripening black fruit remain visible into early summer.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

glossy dark green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam sand clay

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

tender

Time to Maturity

3-4 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grow Ochna serrulata in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil of moderate fertility. Established plants tolerate dry periods and soils ranging from sand to clay loam. Young plants benefit from regular water through their first two seasons while the root system develops. The species is frost-sensitive and suited to frost-free or near-frost-free climates. Where it is a declared environmental weed, fruiting plants seed readily into surrounding bushland. The deep taproot makes mature plants hard to dig out.

Pruning

Prune after flowering to manage size and shape, as the species reshoots from old wood and tolerates hard cutting back. Removing developing fruit before it ripens reduces self-seeding into adjacent areas.