Common Name:

General Information

Dobera glabra is an evergreen shrub or tree growing up to 8 - 10 metres tall[].
The edible seeds and fruit are gathered from the wild for local use[]. The tree is often planted in villages as a shade and ornamental tree[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Northeastern tropical Africa - Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan, through Arabia to India.

Habitat

Occurs in thorn bushes or scrubs of Acacia, Balanites and Commiphora, on rocky hillsides and saline riverbeds[]. It mainly occupies the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	8.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in semi-arid tropical and subtropical areas, where it grows at elevations from sea level to 1,500 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 35 °c, but can tolerate 15 - 45 °c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall ranging from 200 - 600mm, but tolerates 100 - 800mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. Succeeds on sandy, alluvial, black cotton or calcareous loam soils[]. Tolerates moderate levels of salt in the soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 8, tolerating 5.5 - 8.5[]. Trees are able to withstand short-term waterlogging[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are edible[]. The greenish fruit turns purple when mature. Rough on the outside, it is shaped like a small egg, about 2cm long and 1cm wide, pointed at the end, with a white seed coated with a slimy red skin[].

The seeds are edible[]. They need to be boiled for a long time before they can be eaten[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

An essential oil is obtained from the flowers[]. Used as a perfume[]. (Listed as D. roxburghii)

The fairly soft wood is used for carvings such as for pestles, mortars, spoons, storage containers and other domestic items[]. It is also used for making bed-frames and stools[].
The tree is planted for firewood[].

Propagation

Seeds should be collected from the trees just as the fruits are turning brown[]. No pre-treatment is required before sowing, but germination is quite slow, probably dependent on the age of the seeds[]. After extraction, seeds should be sown immediately[]. Under ideal conditions, fresh and carefully extracted seeds germinate within 40 - 60 days, the expected germination rate for mature and healthy seed lots is 80% on average[]. Growth is slow; even after a year, seedlings may have grown only 10 cm in height[]. It is recommended that seedlings spend no more than 4 - 5 months in the nursery, as repeated root pruning will damage the plant[]. An alternative is direct seeding, where seeds are planted just before the rains in some form of microcatchment[]. The slow-growing, palatable seedlings need to be protected from browsing for the 1st 4 - 5 years of their lives[].
The seed has a very short viability and needs to be sown within a few days of being separated from the fruit[].

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