Ximenia caffra is a small, drought-resistant, thorny tree or shrub, 2 – 7 meters tall, with a rounded crown and pale grey-green, leathery leaves. The plant produces fragrant, white to pinkish flowers in spring, followed by oval, bright red to purple fruits with a sour, edible pulp. It is found in woodlands, grasslands, rocky outcrops, and sometimes on termite mounds, thriving in a variety of soils and altitudes.
Fruits are eaten by birds such as barbets, bulbuls, and starlings, aiding seed dispersal. Leaves are browsed by mammals including giraffe, kudu, impala, duiker, steenbok, bushbuck, and eland. The plant is a larval host for several butterfly species, supporting pollinator and herbivore diversity.
Fragrant white to pinkish flowers attract bees and butterflies for pollination. Fruits are edible, vitamin-rich, and consumed by birds, mammals, and people.
Fruits are a key food source for frugivorous birds; flowers attract insectivorous birds via increased insect activity.
Sow fresh seeds in well-drained soil; germination is slow and may require nurse plants.
Difficult; seed propagation preferred.
Fruits eaten fresh or made into preserves; oil-rich seeds used in traditional skin care; leaves and roots used medicinally.
Leaves browsed by game and livestock; not a primary fodder species.
Not known to be toxic.
Useful for restoring degraded woodland and grassland, supporting wildlife, and increasing plant and insect diversity.
