Dovyalis caffra also commonly known as Kei Apple is a lovely evergreen fruit tree or shrub.
Attracts: Insects and birds such as the louries and the black-eyed bulbuls love the fruit of the Dovyalis which is delicious. By eating the fruits, the birds held to distribute the seeds. Baboons, antelope and monkeys also like to eat the fruit.
Physical characteristics:
- Is usually 3 to 5m in height but sometimes reaches 8m with a much branched crown;
- It is a tree or a spiny shrub that may be planted close together to form a hedge;
- Creamy green flowers form in November to December;
- Male flowers are 3mm long in dense clustersof 5 to 10 flowers;
- Female flowers are found in groups of up to 3 on stalks 4 to 10mm long in leaf axils;
- The fruits are up to 60mm in diameter and are yellowish-orange in colour.
Growth requirements:
- Full sun or partial shade;
- Drought and frost resistant;
- Well drained soil;
- Preference for summer rainfall;
Leaves are used as fodder, bulk feed for livestock;
The fruits are edible, and make excellent jam