Small Collection of Edible fruit plants indigenous to Southern Africa

[stuartdaly88]

Stuart, thanks for post on South African native fruits seems to be a whole lot of edible plants not heard of much. I have dappled at growing a few edible fruit trees from S.A. Have a manilkara discolor in ground still alive and Marula in pot needs to go in ground. New this year from seed ( I've ordered for years @silverhill seeds)Euclea pseudebenus very slow going. I've ordered Protea seed from silverhill seeds great place. How about Grewia species which do you like and why?And have lost many others along the way, await you comments on growing these S.A. plants

I am so jealous iv been trying to sprout Manilkara for a long time with no success. Apparently they are some of the best tasting dry woodland fruits! I can't remember which is meant to be better discolor or concolor but one is apparently excellent and mochisia is pretty good too iv read.
Grewia iv only tasted occidentalis they are very sweet and pleasant but skin is overly fibrous. Fruit is so sweet the seeds stay stuck to your lips when you try spit them out lol. I'm hoping some tlc and NPK will give bigger fruits this was just an undernourished nursery specimen. I have berries ripening on flavescens and they are bigger so I will let you know soon:) flava only next year. All the flowers are beautiful but I like flavescens as a plant most because it has weird squared stems that i think is super cool. The nursery man said they get more square the bigger they get:)

[ScottR]

Thanks for reply Stuart, I'll try a get a pic of my small manilkara this next week, kinda growing like ground cover for some reason. I can't get it to grow up no way and it's old like 7or 8yrs maybe.

[LivingParadise]

My country has many biome and a rich native history! We have 11 official languages and many more different tribes historically. All of them had different uses and plants they cared about and I think this is amazing to find out about you are right!
Some even argue that S.A is the cradle of human kind and that would mean these plants are ones absolutely all of our ancestors interacted with millenia ago it is incredible!

Living paradise if you think finding out about the fruits is hard then wow the edibles is like a complete mystery!!
I have a few non fruiting edibles too I will post in the veg forum:D
Hopefully people can help.me with more info on species I hadnt found out about yet too!!
The hardest part is actually finding out what species to search for once.I have a lasting name there are channels and indigenous nurseries I.can often find the stuff it's just not even emphasised by the seller's that it has uses.

Something you should consider to help you out, is to contact South African historians and anthropologists in universities, including perhaps internationally. Such scholars may have access to information about the indigenous names and traditional uses, as well as growing techniques, for these plants, or can put you in touch with people who have this info. South African is industrializing, and as more and more people move to the cities for work, and tourism and international business in your nation grows, a lot of that cultural knowledge is being lost. As people give up traditional ways and traditional history keeping and language for economic opportunities, it will become harder and harder to learn and document the ways in which people have used the local plants for food and medicine for millennia on the land in your country. People whose job it is to learn about those old ways, and to preserve knowledge of them, may be able to help you. A lot of nonprofits may also be able to support your efforts, if you emphasize to them your mission of solving nutritional shortages, preserving culture/history, as well as the potential for local economic growth. This does not have to be a small effort by you alone, if you contact the right people to support your work.

Good luck, and I hope you will keep posting about your progress!

[stuartdaly88]

Thanks for reply Stuart, I'll try a get a pic of my small manilkara this next week, kinda growing like ground cover for some reason. I can't get it to grow up no way and it's old like 7or 8yrs maybe.

That's really strange! Are you sure it's manilkara then? From everything iv seen it's at the very least a large upright bush but then again info is scarce
Looking forward to the pics:)

[stuartdaly88]

My country has many biome and a rich native history! We have 11 official languages and many more different tribes historically. All of them had different uses and plants they cared about and I think this is amazing to find out about you are right!
Some even argue that S.A is the cradle of human kind and that would mean these plants are ones absolutely all of our ancestors interacted with millenia ago it is incredible!

Living paradise if you think finding out about the fruits is hard then wow the edibles is like a complete mystery!!
I have a few non fruiting edibles too I will post in the veg forum:D
Hopefully people can help.me with more info on species I hadnt found out about yet too!!
The hardest part is actually finding out what species to search for once.I have a lasting name there are channels and indigenous nurseries I.can often find the stuff it's just not even emphasised by the seller's that it has uses.

Something you should consider to help you out, is to contact South African historians and anthropologists in universities, including perhaps internationally. Such scholars may have access to information about the indigenous names and traditional uses, as well as growing techniques, for these plants, or can put you in touch with people who have this info. South African is industrializing, and as more and more people move to the cities for work, and tourism and international business in your nation grows, a lot of that cultural knowledge is being lost. As people give up traditional ways and traditional history keeping and language for economic opportunities, it will become harder and harder to learn and document the ways in which people have used the local plants for food and medicine for millennia on the land in your country. People whose job it is to learn about those old ways, and to preserve knowledge of them, may be able to help you. A lot of nonprofits may also be able to support your efforts, if you emphasize to them your mission of solving nutritional shortages, preserving culture/history, as well as the potential for local economic growth. This does not have to be a small effort by you alone, if you contact the right people to support your work.

Good luck, and I hope you will keep posting about your progress!

In many ways traditions and cultures especially of a culinary nature were erased by apartheid and the so called bantu education act. Sangomas are still.largely used but the info they keep is very guarded. I would.love to reintroduce the people to what is rightfully all.of ours in this countries bounty!
Thanks for the advice those channels are a good idea If I ever do open a nursery of some kind or even just get a bigger area to propergate. I will grow and distribute plants and info free to underprivileged areas and townships that would be very fulfilling:)
Maybe with enough info I could convince a scholar to write a book on the subject too:)

[Chandramohan]

Hello Stuart, I am from Kerala India. I have a small collection of fruit trees, many of them yet to fruit. I am interested to get the seeds of Marula, Kei apple, Telfairia and other African fruits. I would be very much obliged if you could help in any way. Chandramohan.

[LivingParadise]

In many ways traditions and cultures especially of a culinary nature were erased by apartheid and the so called bantu education act. Sangomas are still.largely used but the info they keep is very guarded.

This is absolutely true. There are many scholars and activists (many now ex-pats outside of South Africa) who are eager to restore access to the cultures and traditions, so you are not alone in your desire, and many of them may be able to help with the knowledge part regarding old ways. It is an uphill battle, but fortunately not totally impossible yet. As the older generations die, it becomes a race against time to recover what has been lost, though.

> I will grow and distribute plants and info free to underprivileged areas and townships that would be very fulfilling:)

That is a wonderful idea! I wish you much success!

> Maybe with enough info I could convince a scholar to write a book on the subject too:)

I'll bet you could. You could contact professors when you have a lot of info gathered, and see if they might be interested to write such a thing, or perhaps they can convince a student under them to do it. Anthropologists, some historians, as well as biologists may consider writing something like that. Even if they only write an article, from such articles come more articles, dissertations, and ultimately books, in the academic world.

If you get involved in helping preserve cultural knowledge, or with helping underprivileged communities, you also have a good chance of getting a magazine or other media/news source to publish something on your project - which can help bring in lots of people from all different types of backgrounds who want to help your cause.

I think all of this sounds like a great idea! It is certainly valuable to identify and cultivate native fruits, for so many varied reasons. All the better if you can tie that in specifically to helping local communities.

[stuartdaly88]

They are still searching their.large farm far and wide but here is some of what I got smuggled in from Zim so far:)

Baobab-Adonansia digitata





The powder is rather tart not unbearably so like a lemon but still more tart than some would like.



Seeds after removing the Powder.

Absolutely delicious and healthy juice made from the Baobab. I just added some honey and whisked its very tasty and almost abit creamy in a way:) high vitamin C and calcium with lots of other added goodies

Vitex payos-Chocolate berries



These were abit dried out already but definitely there is something carob or chocolate like to the taste. Very staining so I'm thinking that means alot of antioxidants:)

Monkey oranges





Have to wait awhile till they are ripe

[ScottR]

Stuart, interesting pic and description of Boabab fruit, I have read about fruit before but never tasted sounds delicious.
Here is a pic of my small manilkara discolor;
 



you can click on pic to enlarge.

[phoenixtropicals]

Marula is a tough tree.  I ordered some from South Africa and I am growing them in Phoenix.  Even as tiny little plants the recovered after being burned back by a frost.  I was discussing growing them in the Arizona desert with some friends of mine.  Here is a link to our conversation. http://phoenixtropicals.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=721

[buddyguygreen]

That juice looks so good, Ive had Baobab powder from online but never made juice with it for some reason, just ate it straight. Cool pictures of the fruits, have you tried monkey orange before, if so how would you describe its taste and texture.

[stuartdaly88]

Thanks Scott!!! That tree looks very healthy even if it is small and has a thick trunk Im very jealous. I see what you mean though its not tree like at all, how old is it from seed again?

phoenixtropicals they have proven alot tougher than I ever thought I must say even the young seedlings have a pretty good hardyness if dormant. They are also pretty darn vigarous. Im enjoying trying these out in pot culture I must say.
I thought I would be forced to grow only in a pot but the way things are looking an inground tree or two may not be out of the question , my <2 year old seedling survived at least -1C while dormant with only minimal protection to keep the frost off it last season. They are at the very least as hardy as a mango if not more. The fact that it goes dormant and becomes a twig means its just easier to protect:)

Buddyguygreen I added some vannilla extract with the honey and it was really good:) You cant really trust my tastebuds because my love of medicinal herbs has made me like all kinds of weird flavours especially bitter(When I taste bitter I just think alkaloids yay!) but its made my family not trust my taste judgement he he.
I got like ten people to try my baobab juice and got a positive response from all of them:) They likened it to really good ice tea or not overly sweet lemonade. I think it would be quite tasty if I fermented it with my ginger beer recipe too give it abit of a kick:)
This fruit is meant to be chocka block with nutrients someone really should make and market this drink with all that superfood hype it could make a killing IMO. What I love about baobab is despite the fruit the leaves are an incredibly tasty spinach like green too:)
I tried a monkey orange only a long while ago its really good IMO. Take note though Iv only tried a Spinosa and they all look taste pretty different I have heard. The one I had was juicy sub acid and very unique is the best way I can put it. It was delicious though but its hard to remember tastes especially since this was before I belonged to a forum where I thought about how to describe tastes etc

Those Zim Monkey Oranges above I will try in a few months after they ripen and I will post lots of pics and a full taste report:)
They will take a long time to ripen though I think:(

[stuartdaly88]

Monkey oranges





Have to wait awhile till they are ripe

Anyone know their Strychnoses by chance? I didnt get sent pictures of the plants so Im just using the fruit alone to identify as my relatives in Zim just identified it as "monkey Orange"

I really really think it looks like a cocculoides? Any input on that?

[cmichael258]

Stuart

How old is that single Marula in the round pot? It looks very healthy.

If I get home before dark, I'll take a picture of the ones I bought from you.

[nullzero]

Monkey Orange looks very interesting.

[jcaldeira]

Interesting thread.

Not really a fruit, but when I think of edible plants from the Western Cape, the Rooibos tea plant comes to mind.  People would drink it with dry bread.

[stuartdaly88]

Stuart

How old is that single Marula in the round pot? It looks very healthy.

If I get home before dark, I'll take a picture of the ones I bought from you.

Awesome! I would love to see how they are doing:)

The one in the rounded pot sprouted about Jan 2013 so like 2 years and abit then. It grows fast but goes completely dormant for like four months during winter it is now and has lost all its leaves, it's looking rather sad and skeletal at the moment.

[stuartdaly88]

Monkey Orange looks very interesting.

I think.the ones on the left are a different species but I'm.more and more convinced the bigger spotted ones are cocculoides. I opened one of the small ones and completely unripe I will have to wait awhile maybe a month or two I think they go more yellow I'm pretty excited:)

[stuartdaly88]

Interesting thread.

Not really a fruit, but when I think of edible plants from the Western Cape, the Rooibos tea plant comes to mind.  People would drink it with dry bread.

Thanks JC

Rooibos is fantastic it's normally taken with milk and sugar here just like regular tea great for dunking Ouma buttermilk rusks in:) I don't have sugar in but a dash of milk is nice.
I'm busy searching out some seeds for buddyguygreen it's nice to have a non caffeine tea that's just as tasty. People make great rooibos flavoured cakes and bread sometimes too:)

[ScottR]

Thanks Scott!!! That tree looks very healthy even if it is small and has a thick trunk Im very jealous. I see what you mean though its not tree like at all, how old is it from seed again?

phoenixtropicals they have proven alot tougher than I ever thought I must say even the young seedlings have a pretty good hardyness if dormant. They are also pretty darn vigarous. Im enjoying trying these out in pot culture I must say.
I thought I would be forced to grow only in a pot but the way things are looking an inground tree or two may not be out of the question , my <2 year old seedling survived at least -1C while dormant with only minimal protection to keep the frost off it last season. They are at the very least as hardy as a mango if not more. The fact that it goes dormant and becomes a twig means its just easier to protect:)

Buddyguygreen I added some vannilla extract with the honey and it was really good:) You cant really trust my tastebuds because my love of medicinal herbs has made me like all kinds of weird flavours especially bitter(When I taste bitter I just think alkaloids yay!) but its made my family not trust my taste judgement he he.
I got like ten people to try my baobab juice and got a positive response from all of them:) They likened it to really good ice tea or not overly sweet lemonade. I think it would be quite tasty if I fermented it with my ginger beer recipe too give it abit of a kick:)
This fruit is meant to be chocka block with nutrients someone really should make and market this drink with all that superfood hype it could make a killing IMO. What I love about baobab is despite the fruit the leaves are an incredibly tasty spinach like green too:)
I tried a monkey orange only a long while ago its really good IMO. Take note though Iv only tried a Spinosa and they all look taste pretty different I have heard. The one I had was juicy sub acid and very unique is the best way I can put it. It was delicious though but its hard to remember tastes especially since this was before I belonged to a forum where I thought about how to describe tastes etc

Those Zim Monkey Oranges above I will try in a few months after they ripen and I will post lots of pics and a full taste report:)
They will take a long time to ripen though I think:(

Stuart, I'm glad you asked age of manilkara discolor made me look up and it's 7-years old, I also have a 5 year old Marula still in pot! But it losses it leave every year because of freezes.

[stuartdaly88]

Thanks Scott!!! That tree looks very healthy even if it is small and has a thick trunk Im very jealous. I see what you mean though its not tree like at all, how old is it from seed again?

phoenixtropicals they have proven alot tougher than I ever thought I must say even the young seedlings have a pretty good hardyness if dormant. They are also pretty darn vigarous. Im enjoying trying these out in pot culture I must say.
I thought I would be forced to grow only in a pot but the way things are looking an inground tree or two may not be out of the question , my <2 year old seedling survived at least -1C while dormant with only minimal protection to keep the frost off it last season. They are at the very least as hardy as a mango if not more. The fact that it goes dormant and becomes a twig means its just easier to protect:)

Buddyguygreen I added some vannilla extract with the honey and it was really good:) You cant really trust my tastebuds because my love of medicinal herbs has made me like all kinds of weird flavours especially bitter(When I taste bitter I just think alkaloids yay!) but its made my family not trust my taste judgement he he.
I got like ten people to try my baobab juice and got a positive response from all of them:) They likened it to really good ice tea or not overly sweet lemonade. I think it would be quite tasty if I fermented it with my ginger beer recipe too give it abit of a kick:)
This fruit is meant to be chocka block with nutrients someone really should make and market this drink with all that superfood hype it could make a killing IMO. What I love about baobab is despite the fruit the leaves are an incredibly tasty spinach like green too:)
I tried a monkey orange only a long while ago its really good IMO. Take note though Iv only tried a Spinosa and they all look taste pretty different I have heard. The one I had was juicy sub acid and very unique is the best way I can put it. It was delicious though but its hard to remember tastes especially since this was before I belonged to a forum where I thought about how to describe tastes etc

Those Zim Monkey Oranges above I will try in a few months after they ripen and I will post lots of pics and a full taste report:)
They will take a long time to ripen though I think:(

Stuart, I'm glad you asked age of manilkara discolor made me look up and it's 7-years old, I also have a 5 year old Marula still in pot! But it losses it leave every year because of freezes.

Wow how big is your Marula?
Have either of them ever flowered?

[Ansarac]

I recently got red ivorywood, ebony, Mongongo nut, drangon's blood, rooibos, buchu, devil's claw, pelargonum, sycamore and cluster fig seeds from bidorbuy.co.za

I already got baobob and honeybush from sacredsucculents.com

And, Cape aloe. The seller was forced to make a substitution, and it was generous.

I came up with a simple device, to make sturdy, paper pots from recycled magazine and newspaper pages. I'm a burly guy but got these ideas from a Woman's World, which I normally would not have read. 

[Ansarac]

Never heard of these, before:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strychnos_spinosa

  Thanks for telling us about them.

[cmichael258]

Stuart

How old is that single Marula in the round pot? It looks very healthy.

If I get home before dark, I'll take a picture of the ones I bought from you.

Awesome! I would love to see how they are doing:)

The one in the rounded pot sprouted about Jan 2013 so like 2 years and abit then. It grows fast but goes completely dormant for like four months during winter it is now and has lost all its leaves, it's looking rather sad and skeletal at the moment.

I received my seeds from you in July, 2014. 3 seeds are yet to germinate and 2 plants didn't survive. The 2 larger plants really took off the in
past month.

[ScottR]

Thanks Scott!!! That tree looks very healthy even if it is small and has a thick trunk Im very jealous. I see what you mean though its not tree like at all, how old is it from seed again?

phoenixtropicals they have proven alot tougher than I ever thought I must say even the young seedlings have a pretty good hardyness if dormant. They are also pretty darn vigarous. Im enjoying trying these out in pot culture I must say.
I thought I would be forced to grow only in a pot but the way things are looking an inground tree or two may not be out of the question , my <2 year old seedling survived at least -1C while dormant with only minimal protection to keep the frost off it last season. They are at the very least as hardy as a mango if not more. The fact that it goes dormant and becomes a twig means its just easier to protect:)

Buddyguygreen I added some vannilla extract with the honey and it was really good:) You cant really trust my tastebuds because my love of medicinal herbs has made me like all kinds of weird flavours especially bitter(When I taste bitter I just think alkaloids yay!) but its made my family not trust my taste judgement he he.
I got like ten people to try my baobab juice and got a positive response from all of them:) They likened it to really good ice tea or not overly sweet lemonade. I think it would be quite tasty if I fermented it with my ginger beer recipe too give it abit of a kick:)
This fruit is meant to be chocka block with nutrients someone really should make and market this drink with all that superfood hype it could make a killing IMO. What I love about baobab is despite the fruit the leaves are an incredibly tasty spinach like green too:)
I tried a monkey orange only a long while ago its really good IMO. Take note though Iv only tried a Spinosa and they all look taste pretty different I have heard. The one I had was juicy sub acid and very unique is the best way I can put it. It was delicious though but its hard to remember tastes especially since this was before I belonged to a forum where I thought about how to describe tastes etc

Those Zim Monkey Oranges above I will try in a few months after they ripen and I will post lots of pics and a full taste report:)
They will take a long time to ripen though I think:(

Stuart, I'm glad you asked age of manilkara discolor made me look up and it's 7-years old, I also have a 5 year old Marula still in pot! But it losses it leave every year because of freezes.

Wow how big is your Marula?
Have either of them ever flowered?

Stuart, it's less than 2' tall because of yearly die back