Osyris compressa Seeds Common Names: Cape Sumach, Coastal Tannin Bush; Wildepruim, Wurgbessie, Basbessie, Kuslooibas 
Osyris compressa, previously known as Colpoon compressum is a very decorative and useful plant in cultivation as well as in its natural habitat. It is a hemiparasitic plant, in other words a plant that is capable of producing its own food (photosythesis) as well as utilizing nourishment from a suitable host plant by means of parasitism. The fruit are also edible! This together with some other interesting features makes the Cape sumach a highly successful species in the Cape Floristic Region and in other vegetation types. Osyris compressa is classified as a shrub although it can attain the size of a small bushy tree of 1-5 m in height. It is a partial parasite on the roots of plants. The Cape sumach has a smooth greyish bark and the leaves are opposite, stiff, erect and crowded up the stem.The elliptical leaves which are tough and leathery are 10-50 x 10-27 mm, and blue-green with a grey bloom. The flowers are small, about 2 mm across, yellowish green, slightly scented, inconspicuous and are borne in small terminal heads or panicles. Flowers are either just male on one plant or hermaphroditic (can be male or female on the same plant). The flowers and fruits are produced erratically throughout the year, but mainly from April to December. The fruits are highly decorative on the plant and are ellipsoid (elliptic in long section and circular in cross section), fleshy, about 15 x 10 mm, becoming bright, shiny red and then purplish black. Fruits don't ripen all at once which is why these plants can be very attractive for long periods throughout the year. The scented flowers attract insectivorous pollinators ranging from bees, butterflies, flies and ants. 
The fresh leaves of Osyris compressa were used to tan leather a light brown colour, while the bark was used to tan leather dark brown. A layer of crushed leaves or bark, depending on colour preference, was put into the bottom of a trough, and the hide, with hair removed, was placed on top of the plant material. Successive layers of plant material and hides were made, and the wet mass was pressed flat with weights and left to tan for two weeks before removing and drying. A decoction of fresh leaves was used to tan cotton, fishing lines and nets to make them more durable in the days before nylon. The wood is heavy and fine-grained, but because of the small size of the tree, it is suitable only for ornaments. The fruits are edible and were an important food of the early inhabitants of the Cape. The stones were removed and the fleshy part compressed and stored for lean times. You're buying a pack of 10 Seeds We'll supply you with all the germination & care instructions. 
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