Canthium ventosum
(L.) S. Moore
Turkey berry
(c) graham_g, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Mike, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Mike, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit are eaten.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in the forest along the coast.
Africa, East Africa, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A tree. It can be 3-6 m tall but grows to 15 m tall in the forest. It can be a shrub or creeper. The leaves are simple and opposite. They are 2.5-7.5 cm long and 3.8 cm wide. The leaves are green above and paler underneath. The flowers are small and greenish-yellow. They occur in bunches in the axils of leaves. The fruit are oblong and about 1.3 cm long. They have 2 lobes and 2 seeds. They are green and become purple or black when ripe. They are edible. Possibly now Olinia ventosa
Notes
There are about 200 Canthium species. Canthium ventosum (L.) S. Moore is an unresolved name and Canthium ventosum Kuntze is a synonym of Canthium inerme (L.f.) Kuntze.
Names & Synonyms
References (2)
- Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 2. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town p 2099
- www.theplantlist.org
