Pappea capensis
(Spreng.) Eckl. & Zeyh.
South African Cherry, Indaba tree, Sand apple
(c) pete_leroux, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by pete_leroux
(c) magdastlucia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds, Bark - tea, Leaves, Seeds - oil
The fruit is eaten raw, dried, or made into drinks, jellies, vinegar, and beer. The seeds yield an edible oil. The inner bark is dried, grated, and brewed as tea.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in tropical and subtropical places. It grows in the lowlands and the highlands. It suits moister places. It is often in open woodland and along rivers. It grows among rocks. Established trees can tolerate frost and drought. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 50-890 mm. It can grow in weakly salty soils. It grows between 30-2,400 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It also grows on termite mounds.
Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A shrub or small tree. It grows 3-9 m high. It grows taller in moist regions and is smaller in arid places. The leaves are towards the ends of twigs. The leaves are stiff, rough and simple. They can be 2.5-4 cm long and 8 mm wide in arid places and 3 times that size in most places. The base can be rounded or heart-shaped. The edges are often wavy. There are 10-12 pairs of side veins. The leaves are usually green above and paler below. The flowers are small and greenish-yellow. The male flowers are in a branched panicle and the female flowers in strings. The fruit have 3 parts 0.8-1.9 cm across. It has a hard brittle shell. It is brown and splits to show bright red flesh which lets light through. There is a brown shiny stone inside. The fruit is edible.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | 0.6 | 0 |
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from fresh seeds. Seeds can be collected from fruit on the tree and the flesh is removed. Seeds sown in warm weather can germinate in 2 weeks. Seedlings can be transplanted at the 4 leaf stage. Trees can be cut back and allowed to re-grow.
Propagation: Seed - should be collected from the ripe fruits. Remove the red flesh and sow immediately or store dry in an airtight container. Sow the seed in trays using a well-drained seedling mixture with some river sand added. The seed should be pressed into the medium and covered with approximately 5 mm of sand or seedling medium. Keep the trays in a warm and lightly shaded position until germination, which may take from 6 - 10 weeks under ideal conditions. The seedlings are best left in their trays until they are approximately 20 - 50 mm tall before planting out, taking care not to bruise or damage the young taproot.
Medicinal Uses
The tree has a long history of use in traditional medicine and is still commonly used today. The oil obtained from the seed is used as a purgative; a cure for ringworm; to restore hair. The leaves, bark and the oil extracted from the seed are used medicinally against baldness, ringworm, nosebleeds, chest complaints, eye infections, and venereal disease. The bark is cooked with soup to treat indigestion, stomach-ache and diarrhoea. Infusions of the bark are used by Kenyan Masai warriors to gain courage as well as an aphrodisiac and a blood-strengthening tonic.
Other Uses
A fine oil is extracted from the seeds. A fragrant, non-drying, golden yellow oil is extracted from the roasted seeds. It is used as a lubricant and for making soap. There are reports of it being used for oiling rifles. Some research has reported that the leaves are very effective in killing snails. The heartwood is light brown with a reddish tint and is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The wood has a twisted grain; it is hard, tough, heavy and durable. The stems seldom attain significant girth and therefore do not yield much useable wood. It is, however, used to make sticks, poles, cattle yokes, furniture and kitchen utensils. The wood is a source of fuel.
Production
Seedlings grow slowly but more quickly later.
Other Information
The fruit are eaten especially by children.
Names & Synonyms
Biiqqaa, Biqa, Bushveld cherry, Defi, Doppruim, Eceparake, Ilitshe, Imimena, Ingqalutshe, Indaba tree, Jacket plum, Kiva, Kyuua, Liatsa, Mba, Mboboyo, Molalakgaka, Mopenengwe, Mopennengwa, Moroba-diepe, Morodolodi, Mothatha, Mtundawe, Muhungulu, Mukhomanhudo, Muno we muchenya, Mupusyu, Murodolo, Muvundambado, Mwimafiguru, Oltimigomi, Omangi, Tshikavhavhe, Umgqongqongo, Umgqogpo, Umkhokhwane, Umtshulantshula, Umumena, Uzagogwane, Wild plum, Zikwakwashu
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