Among the most beautiful indigenous trees in our garden is the Cape Chestnut (Calodendrum capense), which we planted at least twenty years ago. It is known as Kaapsekastaiing in Afrikaans. This particular tree has grown tall and is shapely – pleasing to the eye throughout the year.
The tree is so tall now that the delicately scented blossoms on the canopy are best observed from an upstairs window.
They are particularly abundant this summer.
I am delighted for I find them very attractive.
These magnificent flowers are rather photogenic!
The flowers each have five long pale pink petals, alternating with five pink petal-like staminodes dotted with purplish to maroon glands.
Something Over Tea 
We don’t have many chestnut trees in Iowa, but I the beautiful ones in Paris certainly caught me eye, and they are also so lush in NW Bosnia.
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Fortunately I do not have to travel that far to enjoy these ones. Several have been planted as street trees in town – and they are all covered in a mass of flowers at the moment: a real treat.
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So pretty – I love those starry blooms.
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They are lovely indeed and are a welcome sight at this time of the year.
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Lovely. Any conkers?
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The seedpods are prickly but the seeds are smaller than the conkers you would be familiar with and are black.
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Thanks
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That is a shapely tree in your garden. It is great that they are used as street trees. There are a few quite well established ones in some suburban streets here too.
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Cape Chestnuts stand out in the natural forests at this time of the year too. I think they are magnificent trees all round.
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Wonderful. The flowers, the leaves and the elegant tree shape remind me of many other things but I have never seen them put together like this.
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I regard Cape Chestnuts as ‘regal’ or ‘majestic’ trees for they are beautiful in both their form and their flowers.
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A lovely view outside your window and scent too.
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It certainly is!
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Your tree certainly is a beauty, Anne and I love the verdant forested appearance of your garden. Incredibly lush! The little rain you’ve had so far has clearly worked its magic. I do hope you’ll get plenty more in your catchment area before your rainy season is over.
We are trying to germinate 4 Cape Chestnut seeds and are hoping the 4 small cuttings we have planted will root. I have not yet had success finding a local nursery that stocks Cape Chestnut saplings.
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These are such beautiful trees and are excellent for even smallish gardens that I am surprised nurseries do not stock them! Good luck with the germination process: I found two little self-sown saplings in our garden, which I gave away as we really do not have room for more trees. This is evidence that you are bound to have success with at least one of the seeds.
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Thanks for that heartening observation.
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Ah, more trees, you lucky person! 🌿🌳
✨☀️🙏🕉️♾️☮️🙏☀️✨
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We planted most of them – others have seeded themselves and their presence is very welcome.
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These flowers are so pretty! How lovely that you have a view of them from your upstairs window.
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I feel most privileged – and am delighted.
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I see that your Cape Chestnut is related to our California Buckeye horse chestnut, Aesculus californica — they are both in the order Sapindales. I think the buckeye is lovely in the spring when it leads off with green leaves before other deciduous trees. But then its leaves turn brown early, too, in the late summer, and detract from the beauty of the lush green landscape. Do the Cape Chestnuts do anything similar?
I wonder if it does well in warmer parts of Northern California…. not that I personally have any space for such a magnificent species!
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Our Cape Chestnut (Calodendrum capense) tend to be semi-deciduous inland and evergreen along the coast.Our tree loses its leaves briefly at the end of winter and does not remain bare for long before they come out again.
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So lovely photos of flowers!
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Thank you very much.
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