Ximenia caffra
| Ximenia caffra | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Santalales |
| Family: | Olacaceae |
| Genus: | Ximenia |
| Species: | X. caffra |
| Binomial name | |
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Ximenia caffra Sond. |
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Ximenia caffra, the large sourplum, also known as suurpruim, mtundakula, mpingi,tsvanzva, umThunduluka-obomvu, and amatu nduluka, is a small tree or small shrub that is thinly branched. It is part of the Olacaceae family which is native throughout tropical regions. In particular, the sourplum is native to regions in South East Africa, mainly Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The sourplum tree produces several fruits on an annual basis. These are generally sour with a dry aftertaste, however contains significant amounts of potassium. The tree itself is fairly hardy, with frost resistance and drought tolerance. The tree, fruit, seed, leaves, and roots are all used for human consumption, medicinally, or for fuel. However, the trees themselves can also be used as natural land division barriers.
The sourplum tree is a sparsely branched shrub or small tree around 2 m in height with a shapeless untidy crown. It has been known to grow to about 6 m in height. The branches are either smooth or covered with flattened hairs and armed with spines at their bases. The bark of the tree is grayish-brown to black in colour, and is longitudinally fissured. The leaves are simple, alternate, and elliptic in shape. When the tree flowers, the flowers are greenish to creamy white in colour although they have been seen to be sometimes tinged pink or red.
The sourplum fruit itself is ellipsoidal in shape. The skin is smooth and starts green, and then ripens to an orange or red. Similarly the flesh is also orange or red in colour, and when ripe has a juicy pulp. The sourplum is 3.5 cm in length and 2.5 cm in diameter. The seed is smooth, ellipsoid, and yellow-brown to red in colour. The seed is hard and around 2.5 cm in length.
A related species, the yellow plum (Ximenia americana), occurs in western United States. The sourplum can be located from Tanzania to KwaZulu-Natal. In the wild, it is found in woodlands, grasslands, rocky outcrops and sometimes termite mounds. All parts of the tree and its fruits are used in cultural remedies.
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Wikipedia