PlantFiles: Fever Tree
Acacia xanthophloea

I have five of these beauties growing outside our home in Johannesburg. Worth a try in California, Florida and Australia. The bark of this tree is lime green to greenish-yellow. It's smooth, slightly flaking, and coated in a yellow powdery substance. The long straight white thorns are arranged in pairs and although they are very significant on young trees they often become barely noticeable on mature specimens.

Bright yellow, golden, ball-like flowers which are sweetly scented are borne in clusters on shortened side shoots at the nodes and towards the ends of branches. Flowering occurs from August or September to November in South Africa. Flowers are followed by the production of yellowish- brown to brown pods which split open to reveal the small hard brown seeds, which may be harvested from January to April.

This tree can be found from Kenya in the north to KwaZulu Natal in the south. It is a prominent feature in the lowveld region of South Africa.

This tree is popular amongst birds for nest building as the thorns add extra protection against predators such as snakes.

The fever tree is an exceptionally attractive tree and is often used to decorate gardens and urban landscapes. Its contrasting bark, feathery foliage, and architectural attributes make it an eye-catcher and thus suitable as a focal point in a landscape. A fast growth rate of approximately 1.5 m per year under ideal conditions make this plant a good candidate for gardeners and landscapers who want quick results.

This plant has root nodules containing nitrogen fixing bacteria as do most members of the Mimosaceae family and these play an important role in the nitrogen enrichment of soils which then has a positive impact on the growth of plants around the fever tree.

The fever tree is relatively easy to propagate. Before sowing, the seed should be soaked in hot water overnight. This causes the seeds to swell and usually by the next morning they are ready to be sown. Seed can be sown in seedling trays using a well drained seedling medium and then covered lightly. When the seedlings reach the two-leaf stage (approx. six to eight weeks after sowing) they should be transplanted from seedling trays into nursery bags, taking care not to damage the long taproot. Seedlings and young trees transplant well.

Due to its mature dimensions it is recommended not to plant it close to buildings. This tree can tolerate moderate frost, but will not survive temperatures below -2 C