Tags
Afrikaans, Agathosma, Aromatherapy, Bee, Buchu, butterfly, Cape May, Cape Town, coastal winds, coleonema, Essential oil, floral arrangements, Flowers, garden, Insect repellent, nature, odour, plants, South African endemic plant, white flowers
The Cape May, (Klipboegoe – Afrikaans), or Confetti Bush (Coleonema Album) is one of my all time favourite plants in the Spring. It has dainty white flowers which smells of a mixture of Honey and Buchu. It is wonderful in floral arrangements.
It is an easy grower and withstands dry conditions and harsh coastal winds. The flowers are carried in such profusion that the bush is a cloud of white when in flower and attracts bees and butterflies. It flowers from May to November.
The aromatic leaves containing essential oils are used by fishermen to remove the odour of red-bait (aas) from their hands, hence the common name.
Campers rub the leaves on their bedding to keep ants and mosquitoes away. The leaves are used in potpourri and act as an insect repellent.
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