Nuxia oppositifolia, commonly known as water elder or water nuxia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Stilbaceae. It is native to a wide area of Africa, and to the Arabian Peninsula.
Nuxia oppositifolia is a shrub or small tree, with reddish-brown bark, leathery or sub-leathery leaves, and whitish or lilac flowers. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the species as of Least Concern.
Taxonomy The species was first described as Lachnopylis oppositifolia, by Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter, in 1843. The species' current name was first published by George Bentham in 1846.
Distribution Nuxia oppositifolia is native to the seasonally dry tropical biome of Africa, Madagascar, and the south-west Arabian Peninsula. It is present in Angola, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Within South Africa, it is present in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.
The species grows in sub-tropical forests, near streams and rivers, in gorges and valleys, and among rocks and reeds. Its estimated extent of occurrence is . It grows at altitudes of .
Description Nuxia oppositifolia is a shrub or small tree that grows . It is often gnarled, and sometimes straggling. The trunk has reddish-brown bark, and is in diameter.
When dry, the leaves are leathery or subleathery. The leaves are narrowly elliptical. The leaves are long, and wide. The leaves are arranged oppositely, or sometimes alternately. The leaves have long stems.
The flowers are white, creamy, or lilac in colour, and slightly fragrant. They grow alone, or in groups of up to three. The inflorescence is long, and wide. The calyx is green, long, and has cleanly divided lobes.
The seeds are long, and wide.
Names In Afrikaans, the species is known as . In the Swazi language, the species is known as . In the Sena language, the species is known as . In the Tsonga language, the species is known as , , , or . In the Venda language, the species is known as or . In the Zulu language, the species is known as .
Conservation In 2018, the IUCN assessed Nuxia oppositifolia as of Least Concern. The species has a wide distribution and a stable population. It faces no major threats.
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