BORAGINACEAE

Ehretia rigida

Puzzle-bush

Trees & Shrubs

Local Context

Fairly common across Raptor's View, particularly towards the south of the estate where its stiff, tangled branches blend into the open woodland. It is separated from the similar Hairy Puzzle-bush (Ehretia obtusifolia) by its small leaves held in tight bunches on knobby woody spurs (rather than spaced alternately along fresh shoots), its star-like flowers with stamens protruding far beyond a very short tube, and its smooth to sandpapery twigs that completely lack the velvety, glandular hairs of its counterpart.

Identification

Growth: Multi-stemmed shrub or small tree (2–6 m) with rigid, tangled arching branches and grey bark.
Leaves: Small, glossy dark green oval leaves with smooth edges, borne in tufts along stiff branches.
Flowers: Small, sweetly scented pale mauve to lilac star-shaped flowers (5–8 mm) blooming in dense spring clusters.
Fruit: Small fleshy round berries (4–7 mm) ripening from bright orange-red to blackish when dry.
Texture: Foliage feels leathery and rough to the touch, carried on tough, rigid, interwoven branches.

Did You Know?

Flip over a leaf of the Puzzle-bush (Ehretia rigida), and you will find microscopic hair-pockets in the vein axils called acarodomatia - built-in shelters housing predatory mites that defend the plant against pests and fungi. Its tangled, crisscrossing branches (Deurmekaarbos) create an impenetrable nursery for nesting birds, but spring brings a softer surprise. Locally dubbed an indigenous Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. its sweetly scented flowers open rich lilac-mauve and fade to crisp white as they age, creating a shifting canopy of pastel hues across the bushveld.

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