Noltea is a monotypic genus of flowering plants. The single species, Noltea africana (commonly known as the soap bush or soap dogwood), is a small, bushy tree of about 4 metres that is endemic to the southern Cape of South Africa, where it grows beside rivers and in pockets of afro-montane forest. It has small, white, mildly fragrant flowers and when it grows larger it assumes a willow shape, with slightly weeping branches. The leaves are long and serrated and the young growth is purple in colour.
| Noltea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Detail of foliage of the Soap Bush | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Tribe: | Phyliceae |
| Genus: | Noltea Rchb. |
| Species: | N. africana
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| Binomial name | |
| Noltea africana | |
The foliage of the "soap bush" can be used to produce a soapy lather for cleaning, and this tree also conveniently tends to grow near lakes and rivers.[2][3]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Noltea africana.
- ^ Goldblatt, P., et al. (2008). Cape Plants: Corrections & Additions to the Flora. 30.
- ^ "New Plant Nursery". Archived from the original on 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ Johnson, D. and S. Johnson. (2002). Down to Earth: Gardening with Indigenous Trees. Struik.
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