Botanical name |
Searsia dentata (SA No 381,1) |
Other names |
Nana-berry; nanabessie (Afrikaans); inklolo (Xhosa) |
Family |
Anacardiaceae |
Dimensions |
A branched shrub or small tree, sometimes up to 6 m in height; sometimes deciduous |
Description of stem |
Red-brown and hairy branchlets |
Description of leaves |
Alternate and compound with only three leaflets; lighter green on the lower surface; coarsely toothed in the upper half of the leaf, lower half of leaf usually entire |
Description of flowers |
Axillary and terminal panicles of small yellow flowers |
Description of seed/fruit |
Bunches of small, nearly round fruit, shiny, yellow but turning red |
Description of roots |
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Variation |
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Propagation and cultivation |
Grows readily from seed or cuttings; recommended garden item |
Tolerances |
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Uses |
The seeds are eaten by people, although they are quite sour; in famine conditions mixed with milk by the Zulu and Xhosa |
Ecological rarity |
Not threatened |
Pests and diseases |
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Other |
Adapted to a variety of habitats in its large distribution area |
Location |
Forests, wooded kloofs, forest margins and scrub slopes |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Eastern Cape; Western Cape; Free State; Kwazulu-Natal; Mpumalanga; Gauteng; Limpopo; North West |
Country |
South Africa; Namibia; Swaziland; Zimbabwe; Mozambique; Zambia; Malawi |
Info | Palgrave |