Muraltia spinosa
(L.) F. Foster & J. C.Manning
Tortoise berry
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(c) natuurliefhebber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A rounded shrub with thorns. It grows 1 m tall. The side branches are short and thorny. The leaves are oblong and with short leaf stalks. The flowers occur singly in the axils of the leaves. They are purple, pink and white. The fruit are red or orange and fleshy.
Edible Uses
The ripe fruit are eaten and also serve to quench thirst.
Traditional Uses
The ripe fruit are eaten. It also quenches thirst.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant. It grows on sandy flats.
Where It Grows
Africa, South Africa, Southern Africa,
Notes
The name is ambiguous.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Bokbessie, Cargoe, Duinebessie, Mmaba, Skilpadbessie
References (4)
- De Vynk, J. C., et al, 2016, Indigenous edible plant use by contemporary Khoe-San descendants of South Africa's Cape South Coast. South African Journal of Botany. 102 (2016) 60-69
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 91
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
