Lydenburgia abbottii is a hardy, evergreen, newly described, rare tree. It is in fact one of the rarest trees in South Africa, with only two known populations, less than 10km from one another, in forested ravines. Its most striking feature is its beautiful glossy leaves that are bright red when young. It has attractive smooth bark that flakes off in irregular patches to reveal orange-coloured new bark underneath. Although this tree grows big in its natural forest conditions, it seems to be a lot smaller when in sun and in cultivation. It bears small, sweetly scented white flowers in large sprays in winter and spring.
As it is newly discovered, little is known about it in cultivation, but in my limited experience it grows in sun or shade and makes a beautiful container plant, although quite slow growing.
Size 4 to 13m