Fruit trees from Africa
Join us on an amazing trip to the African ‘corner’ of the Orchard and explore the wonderful and diverse edible species to be found there. Learn about their names, varieties and edibility purposes.
If you wish to know more about each of the many many different species and varieties present at the Orchard of Flavours, feel free to dive into the complete database. Or even better, come for a visit and get to know us!
Looking for a particular edible species? Save yourself some scrolling time by using the shortcuts below (by botanical name):
Adansonia digitata
African baobab, baobab, dead rat tree, monkey bread tree, upside-down tree, cream of tartar tree, pain de singe, calabaceira
Edible parts:
The African baobab’s leaves can be used either fresh, as a cooked vegetable, or dried and powdered as a functional ingredient (thickener) of soups and sauces. The fruits, called monkey-bread, contain a white, mealy, acidic tasting nutritious flesh that can be eaten as a sweet. The seeds yield an edible and pleasant tasting oil, and oil extraction results in an oil meal. The roots are boiled and eaten in times of famine.
Aloe arborescens
Candelabra aloe, aloe candélabre, corne de bélier
Edible parts:
Smaller leafs and less gel in the leafs but more active ingredients than in the Aloe vera. You can apply fresh aloe gel directly to your skin or follow a recipe to make a homemade beauty product. It can also be added to food, smoothies, and drinks. As a food supplement, the Aloe arborescens’ leaf gel is said to facilitate digestion, and to improve blood and lymphatic circulation, as well as kidney, liver and gall bladder functions.
Argania spinosa
Arganier, argan tree, spiny argania, Morocco ironwood
Edible parts:
An edible oil is obtained from the argan seed. The white seeds contain up to 50% of a light brown oil. This oil is an excellent source of vitamin E, and has a high nutritional value in the human diet. The locals mix oil with almonds and honey to make an almond butter; it also mixed with wheat germ and honey to make gruel.
Bulbine frutescens
Snake flower, grass aloe
Edible parts:
Bulbine frutescens is one of nature’s finest medicinal plants. It’s a remarkable first aid medicine chest all in one. Leaf gel has excellent healing properties for relieving stings, burns, rashes and cold sores.
Carissa macrocarpa
Natal plum, prunier du Natal, ameixa de Natal
Edible parts:
The Natal plum fruit is eaten raw or cooked. The flavour is sweet to subacid, and fruits are sometimes astringent. The fruit can be made into jellies, syrups, pickles, tarts etc. The fruit is up to 5cm long.
Carpobrotus quadrifidus
West-coast sourfig, weskus suurvy
Picture coming soon
Edible parts:
The sap from this Carpobrotus’ leaves is astringent and has been used medicinally, especially as an antiseptic to treat sore throat and problematic skin conditions, cuts and burns. The fruits are used for jams, salad, eaten raw, pickled, cooked, dried.
Ceratonia siliqua
Carob tree, alfarrobeira
Edible parts:
Seedpods - raw or ground into a powder. Rich in sugars and protein, the pulp is very sweet but fibrous. The pulp can be ground into a fine powder and used as a chocolate substitute.
Coffea arabica
Caféier d'Arabie, Arabian coffee, café arábica
Edible parts:
The Coffea dried seeds ('beans') are roasted, ground, and brewed to make one of the two most popular beverages in the world. Coffee is widely used as flavouring in ice cream, pastries, candies, and liqueur.
Delonix regia
Flame tree, flamboyant rouge
Edible parts:
Although we have seen no reports that the mature seeds of this plant are eaten, research has shown that they are a potential nutritious food for humans. They contain around 48% carbohydrate, 8.7% protein and 17.2% fats, plus a good range of minerals, though rather high in sodium.
Dovyalis caffra
Aberia caffra, Kei apple, Kau apple, umkokola, kayaba
Edible parts:
Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is juicy, aromatic and pleasantly acid when fully ripe. Very acid raw, they can only be eaten with much sugar. A flavour similar to apricots - they can be bletted to make them more desirable raw. Sometimes eaten out of hand, but more commonly used in jams, jellies, marmalades etc. The Kei apple pulp is rich in pectin and can be added to low-pectin fruits when making jams etc. The bright yellow, spherical fruit is up to 4cm in diameter.
Ensete ventricosum
Ethiopian banana, Abyssinian banana, pseudo-banana, false banana
Edible parts:
The chopped and grated pulp of the Ensete plant is fermented and made into a flour known as 'kocho'. A bread can be made using 100% kocho flour or a mixture of kocho and other cereal flours. It is said to taste like a good quality bread. Many Ethiopians depend completely or partially on kocho for a substantial part of their food.
Euphorbia balsamifera
Balsam spurge, sweet tabaiba
Edible parts:
The juice of the plant is thickened to a jelly and then eaten. Some caution and knowledge of preparaton is advised as the latex in the plant is toxic. The leaves were formerly eaten by herders and their families in Oman at the beginning of the monsoon, because at this time there would be very little to eat otherwise. The leaves were also gathered and cooked as a green vegetable in the Canary Islands.
Fockea edulis
Hottentot bread
Edible parts:
A common name is Hottentot bread due to the milky, somewhat sweetish flavour of the edible root which is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The plant's latex is said to be poisonous.
Grewia robusta
Karoo crossberry, Karoo crossberry raisin
Picture coming soon
Edible parts:
Indigenous to South Africa, naturally found in a wide variety of habitats, the Crossberry is named after the shape of the berry which consists of four distinctive lobes. The berries may remain on the tree for long periods and are edible for humans and animals alike. Pleasant acid taste.
Phoenix dactylifera
Date palm, tamareira
Edible parts:
Fruit - raw or cooked. The dates are often dried and then eaten raw or used to add sweetness to a variety of foods such as cakes, fruit pies, confectionery etc. Male inflorescence - eaten as a delicacy. Wherever fruiting is poor, the sap is tapped and becomes the main product from the tree. It can be drunk fresh, fermented and drunk as toddy, or distilled.
Portulacaria afra
Elephant bush, pourpier en arbre, dwarf jade plant, porkbush, spekboom
Edible parts:
In southern Africa, the leaves of the elephant bush are commonly eaten, usually as one component of a salad or a soup. It should not to be confused with the jade plant, which is mildly toxic.
Schotia brachypetala
Tree fuchsia, weeping boer-bean, African greenheart, African walnut
Edible parts:
Roasted seeds are eaten. Traditionally, the pods are picked green and then roasted. The seeds would have effectively been steamed inside the pods before being removed and eaten. They are low in fat and protein, but have a high carbohydrate content. The roasted seed has been used as a coffee substitute. The flowers of the weeping boer-bean, which produce abundant nectar, are sometimes chewed on.
Synsepalum dulcificum
Miracle berry, miracle fruit
Edible parts:
The thin-skinned fruit has a sweet, fleshy pulp. The ripe fruit has the ability to modify the taste receptors in the mouth, causing foods to taste sweeter. The berries contain miraculin which is the active principle that makes bitter, sour and salty food taste sweet by affecting the taste-buds.
Syzygium cordatum
Water berry
Edible parts:
The fleshy fruit is slightly acidic in flavour. The berries are also used to sometimes make an alcoholic drink. In central Africa the tree is known as a remedy for stomach ache and diarrhea. It is also used to treat respiratory ailments and tuberculosis.
Tabernaemontana elegans
Toad tree, arbre crapaud
Edible parts:
Fruit - raw. The juicy, orange-coloured pulp tastes somewhat like Citrus fruits. The pulp is orange and slimy. The fruit is used for curdling milk.
Talinum caffrum
Porcupine root, fameflower
Edible parts:
Leaves - raw or cooked. Crisp and juicy, they are also eaten to relieve thirst. The leaves are often pounded and mixed with other leaves and corms. The stems are considered to be unpalatable and are not eaten.
Tamarindus indica
Tamarind, tamarindo
Edible parts:
The immature pods are used in a variety of ways, being eaten fresh mixed with spices, pickled like green mango, or added whole to soups, stews and sauces. When fully mature, the tamarind pods contain a sticky paste which can be eaten raw , used to make drinks, jellies, syrups etc, and, mixed with salt, is a favourite flavouring in the curries of India. The seed can be ground into a flour. The roasted seed is also used as a coffee substitute. Young tamarind leaves can be added to salads. Seedlings, when about 30cm tall, are used as a vegetable. Flowers can be eaten raw in salads or cooked.