''Searsia tomentosa'', the real wild currant (English), umhlakoti (Zulu) or korentebos (Afrikaans), is a small, bushy, evergreen tree. It is native to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

, and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. It occurs in

fynbos Fynbos (; , ) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate. The fynbos ...

and coastal shrub in South Africa, where it is naturally most common in forest margins. The sprays of small greenish flowers emit an unpleasant smell that attracts flies. However it is also an attractive shrub and is grown internationally in botanical gardens for its multi-coloured foliage.

References

* tomentosa Endemic flora of South Africa Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of the Free State Flora of KwaZulu-Natal Flora of the Northern Provinces Flora of Swaziland Flora of Zimbabwe Fynbos Trees of South Africa Plants described in 1753 {{Anacardiaceae-stub