African holly, Cape holly
Ilex mitis

Family: Aquifoliaceae

What it is like

A medium to large tree. It grows 10-30 m high. The bark is very pale grey. The young branches are tinged with purple. The leaves are alternate and simple. They are narrowly oval and 7-13 cm long by 1.9-4.5 cm wide. They are shiny dark green. The side veins form loops. The young leaves are reddish. The flowers are white and 7 mm across. They have a sweet scent. They occur in clusters in the axils of leaves. They can be 3 cm long. The sexes are separate on separate trees. The fruit is berry-like and almost round. It is 7 mm across. It develops slowly but becomes bright red. The fruit are edible.

There are about 400 Ilex species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows along river banks. It grows in moist evergreen forest. It grows between 800-2,500 m altitude in Madagascar. It is frost resistant once established. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa. It suits hardiness zones 8-11.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Australia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Equatorial-Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten. The roots are boiled as a vegetable and eaten. The twigs are chewed.

The small fruit are occasionally eaten.

Edible parts

Bark, roots, fruit, leaves - flavouring

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds. Seeds are collected from the tree and dried in the shade. Seeds germinate in 8-20 days. Seedlings transplant easily.

It is fast growing.

Its other names

Local names

Ikenzilu, Inchitsamuti, Lampivato, Libofa, Libota, Mi'eesa, Without

Synonyms

Ilex capensis Sond. & Harv.; Sideroxylon mite L.; Sideroxylon nigricans Dum.Cours.;