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{{SPlantbox
{{SPlantbox
|genus=Ochna
|familia=Ochnaceae
|genus=Ochna
|species=serrulata
|species=serrulata
|common_name=mall-leaved plane, carnival ochna, Bird's Eye Bush, Mickey Mouse bush
|habit=shrub
|lifespan=perennial
|Temp Metric=°F
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Upload.png
|image=Ochna serrulata1.jpg
|image_width=240
|image_width=240
}}
}}
'''''Ochna serrulata''''', commonly known as the '''mall-leaved plane''', '''carnival bush''', '''carnival ochna''', or '''Bird's Eye Bush''', is an ornamental garden plant which is highly invasive in parts of eastern Australia. Other names the shrub is known by include '''Micky Mouse Plant''' and '''Mickey Mouse bush''' because the plant's bright-red sepals resemble the face of [[Mickey Mouse]].<ref name=plantzafrica>{{cite web|url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/ochnaserrulat.htm|title=Ochna serrulata|publisher=plantzafrica.com|accessdate=2008-09-29}}</ref><ref name=toptropicals/> Its origin is [[South Africa]], and it is in the [[Ochnaceae]] family.<ref name=toptropicals>{{cite web|url=http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/ochna_serrulata.htm|title=TopTropicals Plant Catalog: Ochna serrulata|publisher=toptropicals.com|accessdate=2008-09-29}}</ref>
''Ochna serrulata'' is a small [[shrub]] growing to between 1 and 2 m (3–7 ft) high, although it may occasionally become a small tree up to 6 m (20 ft) high. The narrow leaves are oblong to elliptic and measure 3–6 cm (1.2-2.4 in) in length by 0.8-1.5 cm wide, and are shiny green with fine toothed serrations along the leaf edges. During the [[spring (season)|spring]], the shrub's fragrant yellow blossoms that appear are usually around 2 cm (0.8 in) in diameter. Though, the petals tend to drop soon after they bloom. Five or six fruits grow from the plant, which are attached to the [[sepal]]s. While the fruit is developing, the sepals enlarge and turn bright red, in most cases turning the whole plant red. The 0.5 cm diameter fruit are initially pale green and turn black.<ref name=Wolff99>{{cite book |title=Winning the war of Weeds: The Essential Gardener's Guide to Weed Identification and Control |last=Wolff |first=Mark A. |year=1999 |publisher=Kangaroo Press |location=Kenthurst, NSW |isbn=0-86417-993-6|pages=40}}</ref> In places including [[Kirstenbosch]], the fruits on the plant start ripening in the early [[summer (season)|summer]], while the red sepals last until around late summer. The flowers usually attract bees and butterflies, while the birds tend to eat the fruits from the plant.<ref name=toptropicals/> The seeds can be released by birds and water.<ref name=plantzafrica/>
{{Inc|
{{Inc|
Ochna multiflora, DC. Glabrous shrub, 4-5 ft. or more high: Lvs. oblong-elliptical to oblanceolate-oblong: petals sessile; anthers as long as the filaments, opening longitudinally, sepals in fr. about 4 lines long. Upper Guinea. G.C. III. 40:212. J.H. III. 44:209. G.W. 2, p. 328 —0. multiflora is a greenhouse shrub cult, by a few fanciers for its remarkable appearance when in fr. The fls. are yellow, appear in spring, and are borne to the number of 10-15 in racemes terminating short lateral branches. The blossoms are short-lived, but the calyx is persistent. Its 5 sepals are greenish in fl.( but become a bright red in fr. The receptacle increases until it becomes an inch or so thick, globular and bright red. Upon it are borne black seedlike bodies, which are the carpels. The red and black make a fine contrast. This plant is best prop, by half-ripened cuttings struck in summer or autumn. It requires in England a winter temperature of 48-60°, and summer temperature of 60-85°; soil, fibrous loam with plenty of drainage.
Ochna multiflora, DC. Glabrous shrub, 4-5 ft. or more high: Lvs. oblong-elliptical to oblanceolate-oblong: petals sessile; anthers as long as the filaments, opening longitudinally, sepals in fr. about 4 lines long. Upper Guinea.
—0. multiflora is a greenhouse shrub cult, by a few fanciers for its remarkable appearance when in fr. The fls. are yellow, appear in spring, and are borne to the number of 10-15 in racemes terminating short lateral branches. The blossoms are short-lived, but the calyx is persistent. Its 5 sepals are greenish in fl.( but become a bright red in fr. The receptacle increases until it becomes an inch or so thick, globular and bright red. Upon it are borne black seedlike bodies, which are the carpels. The red and black make a fine contrast. This plant is best prop, by half-ripened cuttings struck in summer or autumn. It requires in England a winter temperature of 48-60°, and summer temperature of 60-85°; soil, fibrous loam with plenty of drainage.
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==Cultivation==
===Propagation===
===Pests and diseases===
==Varieties==
==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=5>
Image:Ochna serrulata5.jpg|An Ochna serrulata with fruits and petals. The plant's bright-red sepals that resembles the face of Mickey Mouse can be seen.
Image:A shrub of ochna serrulata.jpg|An ochna serrulata shrub
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>
==References==
{{reflist}}
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->
<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->
<!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 -->
==External links==
*{{wplink}}
{{stub}}
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