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Little River Cooperative

Iboza Tree

Regular price $12.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $12.00 USD
Sale Sold out

Iboza Tree
iboza riparia or   Tetradenia riparia


days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant every 10 feet
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for: 
harvest notes: harvest leaves as you need
perennial

After years of not having a source plant to propagate this super cool bush from we finally have it back in stock. Iboza was one of Tiffanys favorite plants when she and Muriel both started farming together. Muriel had one in her garden and called it "patchouli" and it took forever to find out its real name and origin. Like many plants it has plenty of common names... ginger bush, nutmeg bush, incense bush, musk bush, gemmerbos and watersalie are just a few of the common names for this very strongly scented perennial shrub. The name iboza was derived from the Zulu word referring to the aromatic leaves - as the Zulu people have many uses for the plant including the relief of chest complaints, stomach ache and malaria. Inhaling the scent of the crushed leaves apparently also relieves headaches. If you are into musky scents like patchouli, frankincense and sage, you will love the super distinct smell of this aromatic shrub. It also produces beautiful plumes of white feathery flowers throughout the year that are also highly aromatic. 

Materials

All of our plants are produced using OMRI certified organic materials (potting mix, fertilizer & pesticides) however our nursery is not certified organic. Plants are shipped in compostable peat moss pots and we use heirloom & organic seeds whenever possible.

Shipping & Returns

We ship plant orders every Monday. Due to the nature of shipping plants we only offer expedited shipping for our live plant orders. Our returns & exchanges policy is also quite strict since its hard to control the quality of a plant once it leaves our facility, however we do our very best to make sure that each and every customer is satisfied with their plants. Read more about our policies here. 

Size

All of our plants are potted in 4" pots and their foliage size varies based on how large the plant is naturally when its root ball is the correct size for the pot. If a plant is too tall for our shipping box we may prune it to fit (bonus: many plants do better after being pruned since they make bushier growth). We do our very best to ship all of our plants in the "sweet spot" of maturity however so long as the roots have colonized the pot we will consider a plant mature enough to ship.

Care Instructions

When you receive your plant its critical to get it out of its box and into the light the day it arrives. It will also want to be removed from its compostable plastic wrapping and given fresh water to drink. Keep in mind, this plant was grown in the tropical humid climate of South Florida, so if it's terribly cold or dry where you are it'll need to be hardened off before planting outdoors. Visit our care instructions page for more thorough info about caring for your new plant friend.

  • What Our Customers Have to Say:

    This is a great, local organization with really knowledgeable & friendly staff. They make gardening easy and accessible, and I've purchased many high quality plants and equipment from them.
    -Kate Black (5 star google review)

  • And Another One:

    How lucky we are to have a resource like Little River Cooperative here in Miami, not only for the access they offer to a great selection of plants and produce, but also for the knowledge they provide and the sense of community they foster!
    -Nick Vagnoni (5 star google review)