Ironwood, Cape olive, East African olive
Olea capensis

Family: Oleaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 25-30 m high. Large trees have buttresses at the base. It can also be a bushy shrub. The bark is light grey but becomes dark and cracked. The leaves are green and shiny above and paler underneath. They are almost round and 3-10 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. The flowers are white or cream and have a sweet scent. They are in heads 3-15 cm long in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The fruit are oval and 2 cm long by 1 cm wide. They are fleshy and purple when ripe. There are 3 subspecies.

There are about 20 Olea species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in mixed evergreen forest. In Nigeria it is common at 1,600 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Australia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa (country/location of origin), Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Black Ironwood, Mushargi, Sinhletje, Sitimane, Umncuma, Ysterhout

Synonyms

Enaimon undulata (Aiton) Raf.; Faulia verrucosa Raf.; Ligustrum hookeri Decne.; Ligustrum nepalense var. glabrum Hook.; Olea buxifolia Mill.; Olea capensis subsp. capensis; Olea capensis var. coriacea Aiton; Olea capensis var. undulata Aiton; Olea cassinifolia Salisb. [Illegitimate]; Olea concolor E.Mey.; Olea intermedia Tausch; Olea laurifolia Lam.; Olea laurifolia var. concolor (E.Mey.) Harv.; Olea nigra Loisel.; Olea undulata (Aiton) Jacq.; Olea undulata var. planifolia E.Mey.; Unsure Olea guineensis Hutch.; Olea capensis subsp. hochstetteri (Baker) Friis & P. S. Green; Olea capensis subsp. welwitschii (Knobl.) Friis & P. S. Green; Olea hochstetteri Baker; Olea welwitschii (Knobl.0 Gilg. & G. Schellenb.;