''Strychnos pungens'' (English: spine-leaved monkey-orange, Afrikaans: Stekelblaarklapper) is a tree which belongs to the
Loganiaceae. Usually about 5m tall, occurring in mixed woodland or in rocky places. Branches are short and rigid. Leaves are smooth, stiff, opposite, elliptic and with a sharp, spine-like tip. Occurring in
South Africa on the
Witwatersrand,
Magaliesberg and further north to northern
Namibia, northern
Botswana and
Zimbabwe.
The fruit is large (120mm diameter), round and with a smooth hard shell, bluish-green in colour and turning yellow when ripe. The pulp of ripe fruit is rich in
citric acid and is edible, but the seeds are mildly poisonous. The tree is a close relative of ''
Strychnos nux-vomica'', the source of
strychnine
Strychnine (, , US chiefly ) is a highly toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the eye ...
.
Strychnos pungens09.jpg,
Strychnos pungens08.jpg,
Strychnos pungens, blomme, b, Seringveld.jpg,
Strychnos pungens, vrug, Little Eden.jpg,
References
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New Fruits for Arid Climates
pungens
Fruits originating in Africa
Trees of Africa
Desert fruits
Drought-tolerant trees
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