Common Name:

General Information

Mimusops zeyheri ranges from an evergreen shrub branching near the ground and growing just 2 metres tall, to a tall tree with a wide, dense, rounded crown and a long clean bole, growing 23 metres tall[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of timber. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

Fresh sawdust may cause sneezing[].

Botanical References

Range

Southern and eastern Africa - Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, S. Africa.

Habitat

Characteristic of riparian woodland, found even on sandy, infertile alluvial soils, and termite mounds; occasionally also found in swamp forest, thickets and rocky hill slopes[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is able to tolerate a small amount of frost only[].

A slow-growing, but long-lived tree[]. Growth rate of seedlings is fast and saplings of a metre or more can be obtained within three to four years of sowing the seed[].
The root system is said to be safe for planting near swimming pools, buildings and paving stones[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or made into preserves[, ]. Pleasantly sweet[]. A floury, astringent, orange pulp[]. The juice is fermented to produce an alcoholic drink[]. The fruit is sometimes dried and stored for later use[]. The range or yellow, plum-shaped fruit is up to 45mm long containing one smallish seed[].

Medicinal

A root infusion is taken to treat candidiasis[].

A bark decoction is used to treat wounds and ulcers[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is sometimes maintained in fields because it is considered to improve soil fertility[].

Other Uses

The branches are used as fire-sticks in traditional fire-making by friction[].

The heartwood is creamy brown to reddish brown. The wood is fairly heavy, hard, fine-grained, moderately durable and works well[]. It is useful as general-purpose timber, is used for furniture, and for general carpentry[].

Propagation

Seed - it should be extracted from the fleshy fruit and sown immediately for best results. The seeds have a high viability and germination begins within two weeks of sowing. The seedlings can be pricked out at the two-leaf stage into individual containers[]. Stored seed germinates better if scarified prior to sowing[].

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