Pink diospyros
Diospyros kirkii

Family: Ebenaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It grows to 7 m high. The bark is dark grey and very rough. It often flakes off in square sections. It loses many leaves during the year. The leaves are oval or round and 15 cm long by 8.5 cm across. The young leaves and stems have pink hairs. The flowers are pinkish. They have pinkish woolly hairs. They occur in heads of a few flowers in the axils of leaves. These are about 2 cm long. The fruit are round and 3.5-4 cm across. They are yellow when mature. The fruit are edible.

There are about 485 species of Diospyros mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs in open woodland and on rocky and stony ridges. It needs a sunny position. It grows between 400-1,250 m above sea level. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 500-1270 mm per year. It is best with temperatures between 16°-27°C. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

It is an attractive fruit. The children are especially eaten by children.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Trees can be grow from seeds but they do not germinate easily. Plants can be grown from large cuttings and also from root suckers.

It takes about 6 months for the fruit to develop and ripen. They ripen during the dry season.

Its other names

Local names

Mchechewe, Mkokokivu, Mng'akala, Mnumbulu, Muchenje, Mukolo-fuma, Ndima

Synonyms

Diospyros baumii Gurke; Diospyros flexilis Hiern. ex Greves; Diospyros latifolia Gurke; Diospyros platyphylla Welw. ex Hiern; Diospyros usaramensis Gurke;