Tree with Mouthwatering Potential Called Monkey Oranges
Strychnos spinosa: Spiny monkey orange/Green monkey orange (English) Doringklapper (Afrikaans) is about the same size as a grapefruit, skin will go orange to brown when rip and ready to eat.
Green Monkey Orange Tree
Be sure to click on the image to view full screen!
Monkey Orange Trees Fruit is good for storing, staying edible in the tropical heat for months after maturity. Taste offers a sweet and sour flavour, rich in vitamen C and B, traditionally eaten raw (NB: avoid the pips they can kill if chewed, Strychnine inside).
Here is the offical name of the tree, life gets easier when the parks take the initiative to tell you what you are looking at, research tells more when interested what the nut like fruit offers.
A medium to small tree in size from 2 to 6 meters in height, with glossy deep green leaves of an evergreen tree living in tropical and sub-tropical Africa.
By what I have read and heard the tree will not be chopped down in the fields, apparently no one farms the tree, they are often seen as a lost tree in agriculture?
The outer shell is exceptionally hard, some areas carvings onto the fruit are sold. Cracking open with a hammer and broad knife combination, tapping on the outer shell to break in half neatly to get to the fruit, (I notice this method is used, now I know when I find one ripe enough to eat).
Animals such as baboon, monkeys, bushpig, nyala and eland eat the fruit. The leaves are a popular food source for browsers such as duiker, kudu, impala, steenbok, nyala and elephant. It is believed that various insects pollinate the flowers.
The leaves, roots and fruit (seeds) are used medicinally. Some people use root infusions as a treatment for snakebite. Others use the bark and unripe fruit. It is believed that the presence of strychnine in the bark and unripe fruit along with other alkaloids are responsible for helping overcome the venom of certain snakes, such as mamba. Strychnine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant that may be able to fight the respiratory depression cased be the venom of these snakes. It is also used as a purgative, for uterine problems and to treat sore eyes. A decoction of the leaf or root is used as an analgesic in Central Africa.
The dried fruit, after the seeds are removed, are often used as sounding-boxes for musical instruments such as the marimba. They are also carved and sold as curios.
The fruit is edible and often sun dried as a food preserve. The seeds must be avoided though as they are poisonous or could have purgative effects. - http://pza.sanbi.org/strychnos-spinosa
Photography has been resized for Steemit (to allow easier transfer on slow internet connection), no software manipulation on my photography, keep it true to what you see.
Thought for Today: A patient man will eat ripe fruit. ~ African proverb
All photography is my own taken with a Canon Powershot SX730 HS
Tree Tuesday - my contibution to @old-guy-photos
Communities I support: @qurator @steemitbloggers @steemthat @teamsouthafrica @kryptonia
!steemitworldmap -28.1232 lat 32.5564 long Isimangaliso Wetlands Park D3SCR
@joanstewart! I found this fascinating as I do learning about all edible plants. Never having been to your part of the world, I found this particularly so and wonder what it tastes like and how to use it in a meal. So, this is my choice for today's daily nominated post on #teamsouthafrica's discord server. :)
We learn something new everyday, apparently there are a few varieties found in Africa, except the Western Cape.
Thanks for selecting my post, have a great day.
Congratulations @joanstewart ! You received a 10% upvote from @kryptoniabot & @kryptonia.
Remember to receive votes from @kryptoniabot
Run a task on Kryptonia.*Join free here Kryptonia Account
Use the tags KRYPTONIA or SUPERIORCOIN in your Steemit post.
Delegate to the Kryptonia Upvote by clicking links: 10SP , 50SP , 100SP , 500SP , 1000SP
Due to an increased amount of tasks, we have changed up the voting power to evenly spread out the Upvote amount.
Your post was resteemed by @resteemza
Please upvote this reply to help us grow
Great bit of education there Joan, thanks!
I grew up in kzn and we saw loads of these trees and fruit. I never ever, in 18 years living there consumed the fruit though.
Also, as kids (not knowing the real name) we called them Monkey Apples...
Upvoted 👍
I will summon up the courage to try one day now that I know a little more about the fruit, rural folk are brought up being taught these things that we avoided. Don't know, don't eat mentality.
Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=joanstewart
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=lost-crops-of-africa-green-monkey-orange-tree
Want to have your post on the map too?
many plants in nature are rich in benefits for humans, one of them as in your post. thank you already share
Agreed @deltasteem this has benefits I did not know, our past of hunters/gatherers we appear to forget to learn, now shopping in super markets.
i really love nature.
So do I, plenty to learn.
Just like @freewheeler, I remember these trees and fruit from growing up in KZN. Never ate them. Never knew I could. We were not told to avoid the seeds. We were told not to eat the fruit.
I suppose it makes sense though. We live in a society where labels are not read...
From Kryptonia
There are so many things in nature we avoid through ignorance, local tribes teach children growing up how to live off the land, yes we are taught to read labels.
You always have such great information. Visiting by way of Kryptonia
Thank you for your kind words @the-witty-waiter
Nature is a gift of God and it is really wonderful to see these creation of him . Thank you for sharing :)
If we don't know which gifts to eat it makes it more difficult to appreciate @joancabz
Can you believe that I have never seen one of these Lady Joan? Do they grow only in KZN? A very good and informative post! Blessings and upvoted!
Apparently the are 9 variations of this species, only area not really found is Western Cape. We have them here being sub-tropical but apparently they grow in quite a few places including the Karoo.
Oh, that's interesting - I wonder where in the Karoo. You know that the Karoo is spreading and in some parts of the Western Cape are most definitely Karoo.
It would be interesting to know more about these, the shell is so hard if you cracked neatly, scoop them out, then dried the shell, I am sure you would be able to use them as cups.
Oh, wow! Very interesting.... :)
I always enjoy your posts because I learn about a place I have never visited but hope to one day.
Nature is giving, we lack in knowledge, really hope you do get to visit one day @boboxer
Great post. Just ordered 2 dwarf palms for my garden project :)
Ha ha, my two 'dwarf' palms now stand about 3 meters high, good luck with your garden planning.
More trees please. Great reading about these species.@bon-nom
Once a week @bon-nom thanks for appreciating.
It got lots of fruits. Seems that it is really good for the body.
Pips can kill, so good to know what part to eat @rubelynmacion
good source of vitamin c
Thanks for visiting @croxdranel
I am a great fan of nature....
Provides us with everything @awosode
Wow.. This a true manifestation of natures beauty. Upvoted
Thanks for visiting @iamwhatiamnot
Always finding your post very informative 👍🏼
I really don't know much about trees though
I know little about trees, I have now made my mind up to learn whenever I see a name on a tree to find out more @shollstun
oh, thank you for sharing what you learned
Very interesting!
Thanks for visiting @letsgetquirky
I love any articles that give so much information on trees. Wonderful and deserving of the daily nominated post.
We live and learn, so much happening around us we know nothing about.
Very interesting post
Thanks for visiting @cryptocheta
Great thanks
Thanks for visiting @grace234
Fascinating info on the monkey orange tree Joan, thank you for sharing this with us. Gosh the name says it all, I was tempted to try this but when I heard the pips are poisonous I was not keen at all!
It looks like quite an art to get into the fruit, the pips are slippery, if not chewed should do no damage, just pass through @lizelle
What saddens me is we have lost touch with knowledge in nature, the local inhabitants pass the information down by word of mouth. The internet has opened up volumes on topics one never thought about previously.
Interesting. I have never seen that fruit, but just in case I will just avoid seeds