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African Hemp

Sparrmannia africana, Malvaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called African Linden, Cape Hollyhock, Cape Stock Rose, house lime, stock rose and Wild Stock Rose.

African Hemp (Sparrmannia africana), the whole plant.
Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

African Hemp is toxic

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Toxic to people. Irritates skin. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Irritates skin. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water well and prune for shape. Water generously in summer.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Either feed heavily or repot yearly into fresh composted soil.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
Each year, either feed heavily or move it into a pot of fresh, composted soil.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Seed, stem cuttings
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Increase from seed or semi-hardwood cuttings.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Water thoroughly and trim for shape. Once a year in spring, cut back hard for a dense, bushy form.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Flowers of African Hemp (Sparrmannia africana).
FlowersAgnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
African Hemp (Sparrmannia africana) growing wild.
In the wildPaul Hermans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Sparrmannia africana, the African hemp or African linden, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to open woodland in South Africa and Madagascar. It is one of up to seven species in the genus Sparrmannia. The genus name is after Anders Sparrman.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
S. Cape Prov.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
South Africa
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
South Africa
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
shrub or tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Shrub; habit broad, erect
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (deciduous)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 120–240 in; width 84–156 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 4-8 metres; spread 2.5-4 metres after 10–20 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, white; blooms in spring, summer, winter
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers red in spring and summer; white in spring and summer; yellow in spring and summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026

More of the Malvaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.