Ziziphus mucronata

Ziziphus mucronata

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Common Names

Buffalo Thorn (english)
Blinkblaar-Wag-‘n-Bietjie (afrikaans)
Mutshetshete (venda)
Mokgalo (tswana)
Umphafa (zulu)
Mokhalo (sesotho)

Taxonomy

Family RHAMNACEAE
Genus Ziziphus
Species mucronata
SA Plant Number 447
Basionym Ziziphus mucronata

Description

Ziziphus mucronata is a very hardy, deciduous, small to medium sized tree with both hook and straight thorns. The glossy leaves turn a beautiful, golden yellow in autumn.

It has attractive, small, yellowish flowers from October to January and hard, round, reddish-brown berries with a sweet, powdery pulp, which are known to be used as a kind of porridge.

Seeds can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

An excellent garden subject with a good shape whether planted in sun or semi-shade. It is a host plant to several species of butterfly. A must for a bird garden.

One of its many medicinal and magical properties is that if a tree is felled after the first rains, a drought will certainly ensue.

It is an indicator of underground water.

Size 3 to 10m

Wildlife

Uses

Distribution

Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, Free State, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Western Cape


Biome:
Thicket


Habitat:
Along rivers and streams, Associated with Termite Mounds, Woodland

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