Common Name:

General Information

Mimusops caffra is a much-branched, evergreen shrub or small to medium-sized tree usually growing up to 15 metres tall, occasional to 20 metres. The bole, which is often gnarled or twisted, is up to 50cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its fruit and timber. The wood is sold on the international market in small amounts, whilst the bark is sometimes marketed for medicinal purposes[]. The tree is planted in South Africa and the United States as an ornamental[].
The tree is protected in S. Africa, where it may not be cut, disturbed, damaged or destroyed, and its products may not be possessed, collected, removed, transported, exported, donated, purchased or sold, except under license[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eastern Africa - Mozambique, S. Africa.

Habitat

Coastal thickets on sand dunes, where it rarely exceeds 5 metres tall and where its foliage suffers under salt spray and sea winds. It may be dominant in sheltered coastal forest behind the littoral zone, where it can reach 20 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in full sun, growing well near the coast[]. Plants are fairly wind-resistant[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. The mealy fruit pulp is agreeably sweet and starchy and is used in the production of jelly and an alcoholic beverage[]. The orange to red fruit is an ovoid berry up to 25 × 15mm, containing one fairly large seed[]

Medicinal

The bark is used in traditional medicine to treat wounds and sores[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Mimusops caffra is important for reclaiming sand dunes[].

Other Uses

The wood is reddish, close-grained, heavy, hard, strong and elastic[, ]. It is durable when exposed to water[]. It is locally popular and used for construction and boat building[, ].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings. Use fine bark with polystyrene as the growing medium. Put the cutting in a mist unit with under-heating. It will take four to six weeks for roots to develop. After rooting, the cuttings should be removed to harden off and then potted into bags[].

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