Pavetta lanceolata is an evergreen shrub or a tree that can grow from 1 - 7 metres tall. The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its scented floral display and fruits.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitat

Forest margins, rocky hillsides, sometimes in lowland riverine bush.

Cultivation Status

Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a position in full sun, growing best in a fertile, humus-rich but well-drained soil. Many Pavetta species, including this one, produce leaves with bacterial nodes - these bacteria live in symbiosis with the plant and pass into any seeds that are produced, thus seedlings are already inoculated with the bacteria. It is not certain what function the bacteria play, theories include nitrogen-fixation, growth-regulation and making the leaves poisonous to livestock.

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses

None Recorded

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed, Cuttings, Air layering