Leucosidea sericea
English: Oldwood.
Afrikaans: Ouhout; Oudehout.
Name: from Greek leukos meaning shining white, and sericea means silky.
Venda: Munyonga-tshifumbu.
Genus: 1 species.
Region: southern Africa.
Habitat: in dense thickets; altitudes above 1000 metres; in open grassland, along river banks and on wooded, rocky ridges; in damp conditions, on deep, sandy or clayey and often rocky soil; in eroded or otherwise disturbed areas.
Ecology: flowers and young shoots are eaten by cattle and goats.
Source: plantzafrica.com; wikipedia.
Use: wood for durable fence posts in permanently wet soil; as a charm to protect the inhabitants of homesteads.
Botany
Tree or large shrub; evergreen.
Stem: flaky bark; wood burns slowly, with a lot of smoke like old and decaying wood.
Leaves: with silky hairs when in buds or young.
Action: vermifuge; astringent; antimicrobial against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans.
Eyes: ophthalmia.