Heteromorpha arborescens, belonging to the Apiaceae family, is a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree or straggly shrub that is suitable for a small maintenance-free garden. The bark often helps to distinguish it from other species, for it is papery and smooth, peeling off horizontally and leaving ring-like scars below. When new, these have a surface like the finest satin. There are four varieties (var. abyssinica, var. arborescens, var. collina, var. frutescens) of this variable, widely distributed tree. Heteromorpha arborescens var. abyssinica = Heteromorpha trifoliata. The parsley tree has several distinctive features. The bark is smooth and shiny and peels off in horizontal flakes. The leaves are variable in size and shape and may be simple to variously compound. They are light green to grey-green and may turn yellow and red before falling in autumn. When crushed they smell of parsley or parsnips, hence the common name. The small green or yellow flowers are strong-smelling, inconspicuous and arranged in umbels, i.e. all the stalks arise from the same point. Flowering times are December-January. The small, winged fruits have two wings on the one side and three wings on the other side and they are creamy brown and form from April onwards. The main use of the plant is to treat abdominal pains and intestinal worms in children with an infusion of leaves used as an enema (Palmer & Pitman 1973). It is also used to treat nervous and mental disorders. A decoction of the root is used to treat shortness of breath, coughs and dysentery. Smoke from the burning plant is inhaled to treat headaches. The tree is planted with charm intent in every lekhotla (meeting) in Free State, Basutoland. It is also planted in the kraals of chiefs in Lesotho to ensure the loyalty of the people. The timber is very soft and decays so rapidly that it is poor fuel. The Xhosas make musical bows of it (Pooley 1993). In the Okavango territory, Africans use the roots as an aphrodisiac.