Elaeodendron croceum aka Saffron

Elaeodendron croceum, or saffron wood, is a tree. It is evergreen and belongs to the Celastraceae family of woody plants. Kew gives its native range as southern Mozambique to the southern Cape. Useful Tropical Plants lists Zimbabwe and South Africa too. It grows in subtropical zones and forests that stay green year-round. Sites include the edges of coastal forests and moist inland forests. Records place it from sea level to 6,500 feet [1,980 metres].

The tree grows upright and keeps its leaves year-round. Reports give heights of about 8–34 feet [2.5–10.5 metres]. Useful Tropical Plants gives a general height too: 23 feet [7 metres]. These accounts do not distinguish garden heights from wild growth. The bark is one clear point of interest. A yellow pigment lies just below the outer bark. In wet conditions, that outer layer sheds more often. This shows more of the yellow colour beneath it. The accounts give no details of leaves, flowers, or fruit.

The tree grows slowly. Young plants may make little progress at times. They may stay thin and straggly for a long time. Useful Tropical Plants suggests growth under forest cover may explain this. Light and room to grow can be scarce there. People grow the tree for show in South African gardens. The accounts focus on its year-round leaves and yellow bark. They give no frost limits or tests of garden hardiness. They name no specific pests or diseases that cause problems.

Seeds offer a way to raise new plants. Useful Tropical Plants says they sprout with ease. But their hard coat can slow this down. Seeds with an intact stone may take 12–30 months to sprout. The account links this wait to a coat left unbroken. It gives no detailed guide to light, soil, or watering. The tree grows in moist forests. That alone does not show what it needs in gardens.

People use the bark to make dye and obtain tannins. The hard, yellow wood serves as fuel and makes charcoal. The account lists possible uses for furniture and building. It also lists turned goods, shaped by turning the wood. It notes use as medicine but names no specific treatment. Most parts contain poisons, which may be linked to alkaloids. The supplied account lists no known use as food. Use as medicine does not prove the plant is safe.