Pick of the park - Cream Fruit (Strophantus gratus)

Cream Fruit (Strophantus gratus)
Syn: Roupellia grata
Family : Apocynaceae - Periwinkle family
Location : Butterfly Garden, Zone C

It is a beautiful shrub which bears close clusters of attractive all year round funnel-like pink flowers.  The flower buds are dark crimson in colour and somewhat waxy.  It is possible to plant them from cuttings, though I find the success rate by this method is not so good.  A very characteristic feature of the flower is the presence of scale-like appendages on the throat of the funnel.  It  has a semi-climbing habit and some varieties are vines.