Botanical name |
Strychnos cocculoides (SA no 623) |
Other names |
Corky-bark monkey orange; geelklapper (Afrikaans), Loganiaceae |
Dimensions |
A tree of up to 8 m |
Description of stem |
Light brown, corky, deeply longitudinally ridged on mature trunks, young branches purplish, hairy; curved spines and usually a terminal spine on the branch |
Description of leaves |
Ovate to round on a short petiole; may have hairs on the upper surface or hairless and shiny; margin entire |
Description of flowers |
Small, greenish in clusters; prominent calyx |
Description of seed/fruit |
Woody, spherical, green with white spots |
Description of roots |
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Variation |
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Propagation and cultivation |
Grows from seed or root suckers; fast growing; experiments to grow as fruit trees in Zambia have yielded some promise |
Tolerances |
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Uses |
Edible fruit, sometimes stored in sand for eating later; used as a dye to colour utensils and protect them from insects; said to provide a cough medicine and for treating eczema; the wood is used to make tool handles; planted with some success in Israel for the edible fruit |
Ecological rarity |
Common |
Pests and Diseases |
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Other |
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Location |
In deciduous woodland, on rocky hills and dry, sandy soil |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Northwest, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga |
Country |
South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania |