Vangueria esculenta
S. Moore
Forest wild medlar, Chirinda vangueria
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Description
A slender shrub or small tree. It grows up to 10 m tall. The trunk is round and fluted. The bark is grey and smooth. The leaves are simple and opposite. They are 7.6 cm long. They are oval or sword shaped. The tips have points and they taper to the base. The flowers are in clusters in the axils of leaves. They are greenish-yellow. The fruit is roundish and 2.5 cm across. The fruit is edible.
Edible Uses
The fruit are eaten raw.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are eaten raw.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant. It occurs in forest, dune forest and at the edges of forest. It grows between 1,100-1,800 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe,
Synonyms
Also Known As
Chirinda medlar, Emantulwa, Mispel, Mobilo, Muzwilu, Wild medlar
References (11)
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 326
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 167
- Magwede, K., van Wyk, B.-E., & van Wyk, A. E., 2019, An inventory of Vhavenḓa useful plants. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 57–89
- Ogle & Grivetti, 1985,
- Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 872
Show all 11 references Hide references
- Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 2. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town p 2083
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 177
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 97
- Schmidt, E., Lotter, M., & McCleland, W., 2007, Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana Media p 656 (Not in South Africa)
- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
- Tredgold, M.H., 1986, Food Plants of Zimbabwe. Mambo Press. p 133
